The Name is Spike
by Skye Silverwing
Summary: After he saved the world from the First Evil, Spike goes to a Hell that is quite different than he had expected, and is granted a new beginning.
1. Prolog

The Name is Spike

By Skye Silverwing

Prolog: A What? Where?

Spike shifted within the cramped confines of the dark space in which he now found himself. The blackness left no room for the ensouled vampire to breath, let alone move, and there was a heat to it that was, actually rather unbearable. Surely this cramped section of Oblivion was the Hell that the Powers had chosen for William the Bloody. A final and fitting end for a vampire that had saved the world.

The last thing that he remembered before being placed in this intolerable place was the Amulet around his neck burning and searing his flesh as the Turok-Han around him crumbled to dust. He had looked to the sky and saw the Sun descend on him with fiery wings as it rendered his body to ash. It was nice, he thought, to feel the Sun on his skin one last time before it was all over. Like getting one last hug from an old fling.

And now, he was here, wrapped up tighter than a fly on some spider's dinner plate, alone and waiting in the dark for what seemed like an eternity. Hell, it probably was.

It wasn't even the darkness that got to him though. He had seen his share of Darkness. He had hidden in it, skulked in it, lurked in it, and toward the end, he found that the Dark was a great place for brooding. No, it was the silence that he found most maddening. The deep depressing endless lack of sound that screamed in his ears like a banshee, deafening him, threatening to destroy the shreds of sanity that still remained to him.

Unable to move, unable to see, unable to hear or feel anything, he sat alone with only his thoughts for company. Time slipped by, hours, minutes, days, years and months, or maybe it didn't, in this endless Hell. And all he could do was think about how much he wanted to be free again, loose from this Hellish prison.

Sometimes he pushed on the walls of his prison, and sometimes he tried to scream, but the Walls were thick and strong, and he could summon no voice. Inside, he cried for someone to save him. Someone to let him out of this place, his hopes sinking into a deep sea of despair in the depths of his soul.

Then, he heard something.

"I'm sorry I wasted your time." The voice said in a sorrowful tone.

Spike wasn't sure if it had been his imagination, or a phantom this horrible hell had sent to plague him, but he wanted so badly to reassure the voice's owner that she was not wasting his time. He wished he could see her face, the girl whose voice had pulled him back from the brink. Then he heard a crash and a startled gasp as the walls of his prison suddenly lit up, and a streak of light suddenly shot around the walls widening as the walls themselves fell away.

Tasting freedom for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Spike blinked as the light blinded him and an endless stream of the sounds living things struck his ears. He was alive, and he stretched out his arms and legs and took a deep breath of sweet, clean air.

Then, just as suddenly as his release had been, he felt himself suddenly thrust upward, driving his head through the roof of the building as he grew to enormous size. From this new vantage point, he could see a wide, sun-soaked countryside, surrounding a great city built onto the side of a mountain. It all seemed so pure and clean compared to Sunnydale. Or any of the other places he had been in a long time.

Suddenly it struck him that the sun was shining down on him, and yet he was not burning. The warm sensation of the sunlight on his skin felt good. He closed his eyes and just felt the soft sunlight warming his skin.

And then he was falling. He landed in a small pile of straw piled atop a broken pile of wood. He seemed to be in some sort of classroom, with a number of huge horses all around him. The closest was a white Mare with wings and a horn and hair that flowed on a non-existent wind. She looked down at a purple unicorn filly who looked as very ashamed of herself.

The winged unicorn spoke calmly. "Twilight Sparkle." She said.

The younger unicorn hung her head and looked up sheepishly at the majestic white mare. "Oh, I'm very sorry, I didn't mean…" she simpered, only to be cut off by the other continuing.

"You have a very special gift." She said, "I don't think I've ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities."

The violet pony stared up at her regal counterpart and responded in a brilliantly eloquent manner: "Huh?"

"But you need to learn to tame these abilities through focused study." The White mare said.

To which the young unicorn responded. "Huh?"

Spike had to try not to chuckle, a real poet, that one.

The Elder pony smiled at the younger. "Twilight Sparkle, I would like to make you my own personal protégé here at the school." She said.

The purple unicorn– Twilight, apparently– responded brilliantly. "HUH?"

The winged teacher looked down at her soon to be student. "Well?" she asked.

Twilight glanced at two of the other unicorns in the room, who were both nodding emphatically, and then turned and leapt into the air jubilantly crying "YES!"

The regal white mare smiled at her student. "One more thing, Twilight, she said, indicating the small image of a star flanked by a few more sparkling stars that had appeared on the younger pony's flank.

Twilight stared at it for a moment and then cried, "My Cutie Mark!" and began to dance around happily repeating "yes!" over and over again.

While she hopped and danced, and capered, Spike shifted his weight, noticing an odd feeling from his rear. Looking down, he spotted the problem: He had a tail.

It was purple and scaled, and so were his arms and legs. He was about to say something about it when he noticed that the white mare was looking at him now, as he watched her approach, he realized how much respect her posture and bearing demanded. He bowed, knowing it was the only thing to do.

She looked at him and smiled. "Hello, Spike." She said softly, so as not to draw the attention of her charge who was still caught up in her own celebration to pay attention to much of anything. "I am Princess Celestia. I hope your time in your egg was not too unbearable."

Suddenly Spike recalled the Sun, descending to him on wings of fire. "It was you." He said, with new clarity, "You saved me from dying when the Hellmouth fell."

The winged unicorn nodded. "I thought it unfair that such a noble soul should be destroyed by my power, and instead placed your soul in this dragon egg." She said, "I trust it was not too discomforting?"

Spike looked up at her, a dark look on his face. "It was Hell." He said flatly, "Cramped and dark and silent, with only the whispers of your own demons in your ears for what feels like an eternity."

The Princess face grew apologetic. "I am sorry." She said, "I did not realize that you would be conscious in there."

Spike looked at her and sighed. "No worries, luv." He said, downplaying the trauma, "I've been through worse hells than that."

Celestia nodded, relieved, and then gave Spike a pointed look. "You just saw me accept my newest student, correct?" she asked.

Spike nodded. "You mean miss prancy panties over there?" he asked, indicating Twilight, who was still hopping and repeating "Yes" over and over.

Celestia nodded. "I was hoping that you would be so kind as to act as her assistant." She said, "Helping her out, keeping an eye on her, protecting her and serving as a way for me to contact her any time I need to, and for her to contact me."

Spike looked from the Princess to her student. "She is the one that let me out of that egg?" he asked.

Celestia nodded.

Spike watched the purple pony hopping around a little while longer and then sighed. "I suppose I owe her that much for getting me out of there." He said, "But you promise me that when I hit the size where I can fight, I can get back home. I got some unfinished business to attend to."

Celestia nodded. "You will be able to take the rainbow both ways all you need." She said.

Spike nodded.

Celestia turned and called Twilight over. "Twilight Sparkle, I want you to meet Spike." She said, a little mirth shining in her violet eyes. "He is your dragon familiar, and will be your assistant from this point on."

Spike did not like the idea of being a "familiar", but let it drop. He gave the Purple Pony a soft "Hey."

Twilight smiled, "Nice to meet you, Spike." She said, "I hope we can work well together."

Spike smiled back. "Me, too."

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

What do you all think? Should I continue this story? Should I go ahead and advance it to the beginning of the MLP: FiM series and run the pilot with the former vampire Spike helping Twilight out? One thing for sure, *this* Spike knows the importance of a serious prophecy, and won't faint at the sight of Nightmare Moon. He might not be such a good advocate for Twilight making friends though.

In any case, thoughts, opinions, and constructive criticism always accepted.


	2. Chapter 1: The Mare in the Moon

The Name is Spike

By Skye Silverwing

Chapter 1: The Mare in the Moon.

"_Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created Harmony for all the land. To do this, the Elder sister used her Unicorn powers to raise the Sun at Dawn, and the Younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom, and their subjects: All the different types of Ponies."_

"_But as time went on, the Younger Sister became resentful. The Ponies relished and played in the Day that her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful Night."_

"_One fateful day, the Younger Unicorn refused to lower the Moon to make way for the dawn. The Elder Sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night."_

"_Reluctantly, the Elder Sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to Ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the Moon. The Elder Sister took on responsibility for both Sun and Moon, and Harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since."_

Twilight Sparkled closed the book. "Hmm… the Elements of Harmony…" she said to no one in particular, "I know I've heard of those before, but where?"

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Spike was sitting in the Library reading an old book on Equestrian prophecies. He referenced the thing a lot since Twilight had taught him to read in the funny symbol language that a lot of the older books seemed to be printed in, though he had been surprised to find many of them printed in English as well.

He was reading about how some trio of fillies were supposed to release a force of pure chaos when Twilight charged through the door. "Spike? Spike!" the purple unicorn called.

Spike looked down at her from the second level of the library. "What is it, luv?" he asked, "Thought you would be on your way to Moon Dancer's little shindig by now."

Twilight looked askance at the Dragon. "Come on, Spike, you know we don't have time for that kind of thing." She said, "Have you seen that old copy of Predictions and Prophecies?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "Figures." He said, "Yeah I've got that old book right here."

Spike held up the book and then gave a startled cry as Twilight used her magic to pull the book, and him as well, off of the upper level and down to her with a thud. Spike glared at her. "What is so bloody important that you gotta look it up on our day off?"

Twilight paged quickly through the book. "Elements, elements, E… E.." she muttered, "Aha, Elements of Harmony… See: Mare in the Moon?"

Spike's head popped up. "Mare in the Moon?" he said, stepping up behind her. "I know that one. Powerful Pony who wanted to rule Equestria. Defeated by the Elements of Harmony and stuck in the Moon."

Twilight found the entry in the book. "Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the Stars will aide in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal." She read, alarm rising in her voice as she read it. "Spike, do you know what this means?"

Spike sighed, "Sounds like a vampire's dream." He said. "Let me guess, Summer Sun Celebration in two days is year one Thousand."

Twilight nodded. "We need to let Princess Celestia know." She said, "Spike, take a note, please."

Spike nodded and produced a quill and paper. This had been one of his primary duties since he had been assigned as Twilight's familiar. She would dictate, and he would write. It was better than getting brainwashed into killing people by the First, he supposed.

"My Dearest Teacher," Twilight dictated, "My continuing studies of Pony Magic have lead me to discover that we are on the Precipice of Disaster. For you see, the Mythical Mare in the Moon is, in fact, Nightmare Moon, and my research indicates that she is about to return to Equestria, and bring with her endless night. Something must be done to ensure that this prophecy does not come true. I await your quick response. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle."

Spike finished writing and gave it a quick burst of flame to send it on its way. "There." He said, "Done and sent. This sounds like Apocalypse stuff to me, so I figure she will get back to you right quick."

Twilight nodded in agreement, and neither of them w surprised when Spike belched out the Princess's response a few moments later. This was not a means of communication that Spike thought he would ever get used to, but he had to admit, it was surprisingly efficient.

Picking up the scroll in question, he opened it and began to read. "My dearest most faithful student, Twilight," he said, "You know I value your diligence and that I trust you completely, but you really should stop reading those dusty old books. There is more to a young Pony's life than studying, so I am sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location: Ponyville. And, I have an even more essential task for you to complete: Make some friends."

Twilight blanched. "But… Nightmare Moon…" she said.

Spike rolled his eyes. "If this Nightmare Moon was the threat you make her out to be, do you really think that the Princess wouldn't have dealt with it by now?" he said simply, "I mean, she does know a lot more about Magic than you do. And if it is not something she can handle, what makes you think proving it is going to do any good?"

Twilight had to give Spike that one. The Princess had been the one who had given her the book containing the story of Nightmare Moon to begin with. She probably had everything under control and dismissed Twilight's concerns because it was not really an issue. "I suppose you're right, Spike." She said, "Though I don't know why she is sending us to Ponyville and telling me to make friends."

Spike looked at Twilight with a serious look on his face. "I'll tell you this, Luv." He said, "I knew my fair share of girls who had to carry the fate of the world on their shoulders, and the ones that survived it did because of the support of their friends."

Not for the first time, Twilight Sparkle stared at the Dragon with a look of pure awe. "I suppose you are right Spike." She said, "Maybe I am taking this Nightmare Moon thing a little too seriously."

Spike narrowed his eyes slightly. "I never said that." He said, "It might be the case that Celestia can't stop the Dark Old Pony from showing up. If that is the case, we'll probably need the Elements of Harmony to put the old Nag back down. Turns out, according to this book registry, there is a Reference Guide for them in the Ponyville Library."

Twilight smiled. "We can check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration as quickly as we can, and then check the Library to find out about the Elements." She said proudly.

Spike nodded. "And don't forget about making friends." He said.

Twilight looked at him. "Spike, I will check on the preparations first, as that is my duty as the Princess's student." She said, "The fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends."

Spike rolled his eyes. "I'll get my crossbow."

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

The following day, Spike and Twilight took a Pegasus-drawn chariot down from the Mountain-side city of Canterlot down to the smaller community of Ponyville in the valley below it. As they landed, Twilight thanked the Pegasi for their assistance.

Spike unloaded the few bags he and Twilight had brought that had not been sent ahead, and slung his crossbow over his shoulder unobtrusively. He had constructed the device by hand after arriving here, and was anxiously awaiting the chance to use it for something other than target practice.

He noticed the approach of a pink-coated Pony, what Equestrian Ponies would call an "Earth Pony". Nudging Twilight, he indicated the pink Pony. "As long as you have the chance," he said, "you might try the whole 'making friends' thing. Perhaps the Ponies here have something interesting to say."

Twilight sighed, but approached to Pony in question. "Umm… Hello?" she greeted the Pink Pony, who seemed to notice her at that exact moment.

The Pony's eyes widened slightly and she gave a surprised gasp, showing a look of utter shock before dashing off as quickly as her hooves could take her.

Twilight stared after the fleeing Pony, and then turned back to the Dragon. "Well, THAT was interesting all right." She said.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Well, we might as well get started." He said, pulling out a list of the things Twilight needed to check. "Looks like the closest Pony to talk to on this list is a Pegasus named… Rainbow Dash. She is in charge of keeping the sky clear of clouds."

The two of them looked up into the sky to see numerous clouds all over.

Twilight sighed. "Well, she is clearly not doing a good job." She said.

Spike had to agree. He scanned the skies for a moment and spotted a rainbow-maned Pegasus lounging on one of the clouds. "I am guessing that the rather colorful filly up there would be our girl." He said.

Twilight looked at the pony in question and nodded, then raised her voice. "Excuse Me!" she called, "Are you Rainbow Dash?"

The Pegasus Pony looked down at the Unicorn and Dragon and hopped off the cloud and glided down, landing lightly on the ground in front of them. "The one and only!" She said, "Why? You heard of me?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I heard that you were supposed to be keeping the skies clear for the celebration tomorrow." She replied, before introducing herself. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and the Princess sent me to check on the preparations for the celebration."

Rainbow smiled. "Yeah, yeah," she said, "That will be a snap. I'll do it in a jiffy. I was just about to start practicing my routine, first."

"Routine?" Twilight asked, "Routine for what?"

Rainbow smiled broadly. "For the Wonderbolts!" she said, indicating a nearby poster and somersaulting onto a nearby cloud, "Their going to be performing at the Celebration, and I am going to show them my stuff."

Twilight cocked an eyebrow skeptically. "THE Wonderbolts?" She asked, "The best fliers in all off Equestria?"

Rainbow leaned back against the cloud. "Yep," she said, "That's them."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Please." She said, "They would never accept a Pegasus that can't even keep the sky clear for one measly day."

Rainbow glared down at the purple unicorn. "Hey." She said flatly, "I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat."

Twilight smirked at the Pegasus. "Prove it."

Rainbow's eyes widened as she realized that she was being challenged. Without another word, she proceeded to begin the fastest session of clearing the clouds that the Unicorn and her Familiar had ever seen. She swept clouds away, kicked them out of existence, and dispersed them with a high-speed loop-the-loop.

"Loop the loop around and- WOAH!" she said as she was finishing her final loop, only to see a grey Pegasus fly into her path, so intent on the Muffin in her hand that she failed to notice the rainbow colored pony bearing down on her at high speed.

Rainbow was moving far too quickly to stop, or even slow down much, so she had to fold her wings, turning her decent into an uncontrolled dive, narrowly avoiding the inattentive pony, and forcing her to flare her wings with inches to spare, turning downward thrust forward, barreling directly into Twilight, driving both of them into a nearby mud puddle.

Rainbow Dash shot a glare at the grey pony, who now looked sheepishly down at the two felled ponies. "Ditsy Doo, you Featherbrain!" she snapped, "Watch where you're flying! I nearly took us both out! Sorry, Twilight."

Rainbow moved to help the Unicorn to her feet, with mud matted in her coat and mane. Twilight glared at both Pegasi.

Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly. "Here, Let me help you." She said, flying up and grabbing one of the clouds that remained. She placed it of Twilight's head and proceeded to hop on it, causing all the rain inside to pour out, washing the mud from the Unicorn, but soaking her in the process.

Rainbow looked to check her work and saw a thoroughly soaked Twilight, glaring up at her. "Oops. I guess I overdid it." She said, "Umm… How about this?"

Before Twilight could respond, the Pegasus was flying in circles around her at high speed, forming a Rainbow colored whirlwind. "My very own patented, Rain-blow-dry!" a moment later, all of the moisture had been blown away, not only from Twilight, but the puddle as well, leaving Twilight standing on dry ground.

"No, no, don't thank me," Rainbow said landing in front of the Purple Pony, "you're quite welcome."

Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash. She could not see it, but she could feel how her mane and tail were now twisted and curled into a horrible mess. This was confirmed when, in spite of herself, Rainbow Dash gave a strained giggle that erupted into a gale of laughter that sent to Pegasus rolling on her back.

Spike, who had been watching the whole incident, maintained his composure, but chuckled slightly. "You alright luv?" he asked, the smirk on his face clearly evident in his voice. "You look a little… Sheepish."

Twilight shot Spike a glare, and then turned back to Rainbow. "Nice job on the clouds." She said, giving the Pegasus a moment to regain her composure. "And the landing." She said, honestly. "I have seen some of the Wonderbolt's shows, and I don't think many of them could have pulled off that recovery, either."

Rainbow Dash beamed and blushed at the praise. "Well, I am not really THAT good." She said. "I will keep the clouds clear while I am practicing, I would never leave Ponyville hanging. Heh, heh, you should see your hair… You're a riot, Twilight Sparkle, I can't wait to hang out some more."

With that, Rainbow took off to work on her routine in another part of town.

Spike watched the Pegasus disappear out of sight, then shot Twilight a smirk. "Nice bit if work, that one." He said, "Good manipulation, there, luv. You baited her into clearing the sky like a pro."

Twilight grinned back. "Thank you Spike." She said, "Where to next?"

Spike smirked at her and put a clawed hand on Twilight's tangled mane. "Might I suggest a hair dresser?" he suggested, mockingly. "That Pegasus really did a number on yours."

Twilight glared at him. "We don't have time for that Spike!" she snapped. "We have work to do, now what is next on the list?"

Spike produced the list and examined it again. "Looks like food, decorations, and music." He said, "I think that is the Festival Hall there." he said, indicating a grand building. "We might as well check on the decorations next, since the ponies in charge of food are outside town and I have bugger all idea where the Music director might be."

Twilight nodded, and the Two of them headed to the Festival Hall. Inside, they found that the preparations for the celebration were well under way, with a number of Unicorns and Pegasi working to put up the decorations under the direction of a white Unicorn with a luxurious violet mane.

"Move that banner to the left!" she was telling a pair of Pegasus, "It needs to be centered between the windows just right! No, LEFT!"

The two winged ponies both went in different directions, and banner pulled taught, causing them to spin around, and ultimately crash into the wall, the banner catching on the upper ledge at the last moment, as the two ponies came crashing down.

"Perfect!" the Unicorn said, "Oh, Rarity, you are outdoing yourself again."

Spike eyed the downed Pegasi suspiciously; he certain he had seen that grey one before. As the pair of winged ponies left the Festival Hall, Spike followed. "Hey," he called, getting the grey one's attention, "You're Ditsy Doo, right?"

The Grey Pony looked at Spike, her eyes, going slightly cross-eyed for a moment, and then she nodded. "Yep, that's me." She said, "Who are you?"

Spike smiled at the slow Pegasus. She reminded him of Harmony. Then again, he did not like Harmony that much. "The name is Spike." He said, "I work with Twilight Sparkle."

Ditsy cocked her head slightly. "Oh," she said, "she is the one Pinkie Pie was talking about, Right?"

Spike cocked his head. "Pinkie Pie?" he asked, "Don't think we met her."

Ditsy smiled. "She is over there at Sugarcube Corner." She said, pointing to a nearby sweet shop. "She said something about a surprise."

Spike sighed. As Twilight's "Familiar" he was tasked with protecting her. This meant, in this case, that he needed to investigate this "surprise" and make sure it was not something dangerous.

He motioned for Ditsy Doo to lead the way, and marched off to Sugarcube corner.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Meanwhile, Twilight approached Rarity, the Unicorn in charge of the decorations in the Festival Hall. "Hello!" she said, causing the busy Unicorn to turn toward her, her eyes still on the curtains she was busy placing, "My name is Twilight Sparkle…"

Rarity looked from the curtains to the Purple Pony before her. "How can I help yo-Oh, my stars! Darling!" she cried when her eyes took in the tangled and swirled mess that was Twilight's Mane. "Whatever happened to your coiffure?"

Twilight stared at the look of horror spreading across Rarity's face as she realized what the white pony was talking about. "Oh, you mean my mane?" she asked, slightly embarrassed, "It's a long story. I'm just here to check on the decorations and then I'll be out of your hair."

Rarity stared at the Pony in stunned shock. "Out of my hair?" she asked "What about YOUR hair?"

With no more words, Rarity began to push Twilight out of the Hall, decorations could wait.

Twilight gave little resistance as the white pony pushed her out the door. "Wait, where are we going?" she asked, failing entirely to realize that her familiar was missing.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Spike entered the pastry shop called Sugar Cube Corner with Ditzy Doo tagging along behind him. Inside, the shop boasted one of the widest arrays of pastries that the former vampire had ever seen. Cakes, pies, doughnuts, cupcakes, and a thousand other confections that Spike could not even try to put a name to. Over in the kitchen, though, the Dragon spotted his quarry.

As he had expected, it was that Pink Pony that had run off earlier. She dashed this way and that way, combining ingredients in a flurry of motion that Spike had seen before only in the Kitchens of the most experiences and skilled chefs.

The Pink Pony spotted the dragon watching her, and, with a swift motion that defied the laws of gravity, motion, and thermodynamics, she placed several items in the oven in one sweeping motion, closed it and vanished behind the counter, only to appear again from above him, landing lightly in front of him on her hooves.

She looked him up and down and smiled broadly. "Hi!" she greeted him in a bubbly, high pitched voice, "I'm Pinkie Pie, and I know you! I saw you earlier with the new pony when she came into town and I was all like Gasp! because I had never seen her before, 'cause if I had never seen her before, she must be new, because I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville, and if she was new then that meant that she did not have any friends, and if she didn't have any friends then she must be lonely, and that made me so sad, but then I thought that I could throw her a party and invite everypony in Ponyville, and then she'll have lots of friends!"

Spike stared at the Pink Pony with wide eyes. "That had to be the most effective use of Willowbabble I ever heard, short of the genuine article." He said, taking a moment to digest the babble. "So you are throwing Twilight Sparkle a surprise party, on account of her being new in Town?"

Pinkie Pie nodded happily. "Yeah!" she crowed, "I'm making the cupcakes and other treats right now. Where are you two planning on staying tonight? I need to set up the decorations. Could you keep her busy until sundown?"

Spike thought about it for a long moment. Celestia did specifically tell Twilight to make some friends, and while the violet pony was clearly putting some effort into it, it seemed to Spike that Pinkie Pie's plan was the best way to get her some more.

The former vampire nodded. "Alright." He said, "We are rooming at the town Library. I will see about slowing my girl down a hair, but in return, you make sure she gets a lot of friends, Alright?"

Pinkie Pie beamed. "Sure!" she said, and then turned to the Pegasus and pulled out a stack of envelopes. "Hey Ditzy, could you run these invitations around to all of the ponies in town for me?"

The blond Pegasus suddenly perked up. "Sure, Pinkie!" she said with a big grin. "Am I invited, too?"

Pinkie smile broadly at her. "Of course!" she said, "We want Twilight to have all the friends she can handle!"

Ditzy Doo nodded, and took the stack of Envelopes and flew off without another word.

Spike blinked for a moment. "How did you have invites already if you did not know where…" he started, but he suddenly realized that it was probably one of those things that he was just better off not knowing. He decided to ask after Ditzy "Are you sure she can get those delivered to every-pony in time? She doesn't really seem like she has all her apples in her barrel, if you know what I mean."

Pinkie nodded knowingly. "Don't you worry, if there is one thing Ditzy is good at, it is delivering mail." She replied, turning back to her cooking. "Any requests for party treats?"

Spike smiled. "Do you know how to make an onion blossom?" he asked.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

The Carousel Boutique was a lovely little business, owned by Rarity. Within its workroom and showroom, she created and displayed fashions that would make the most elite ponies in Canterlot notice anyone wearing them.

Twilight stared into the mirror at the fifteenth outfit Rarity had forced upon her in the past hour. Sure, she was thankful for the Fashionista's assistance with her hair, and she did not think her coat had ever managed to glisten as much as it was right now. She was, however, becoming aware of the movement of time as Rarity searched for yet another outfit, and she got the sense that the violet tressed pony might keep her here all night if she did not make her excuses.

Rarity returned, bearing a shiny gem-encrusted blue outfit that Twilight was certain cost more than her entire library back in Canterlot. Twilight was so distracted be the gaudy thing that she did not think to say anything before Rarity had it wrapped around her.

Rarity smiled at Twilight. "Now go on, my dear," she said, reaching for the strings of the outfit, "you were telling me where you're from."

Twilight felt the outfit constrict as the White coated unicorn pulled the cords, tightening it around her. "I've… been sent… from… Canterlot… to…" she managed to wheeze, the constriction of the outfit forcing the air from her lungs.

Rarity gasped, releasing the cords, and sending both of them flying. "Canterlot!" she exclaimed, a huge smile blossoming on her face. "Oh, I am so envious! The glamour! The sophistication! I have always dreamed of living there! I can't wait to hear all about it! We are gonna be the best of friends, you and I."

She stepped closer to Twilight showing her new-found respect for the pony, but her eye was suddenly caught by the green gem on the very front of her outfit. "Emerald?" she said, in surprise. "What was I thinking? Let me get you some rubies!"

She turned to her work station to find more gems, and Twilight chose to run while she had the chance, discarding the eye-catching outfit as she fled.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Spike left Sugar Cube Corner cursing his failure to keep track of time. Pinkie Pie had revealed to him that she had never fried anything in oil before. They only used ovens and stoves to cook things at Sugarcube Corner. He had to explain how frying things worked, and then he had to show her how to fry an onion so as not to have it loose its shape. Then she asked about frying other things. She was frying up some cupcakes the last time he checked, breading the icing, frying the top and then adding another layer of icing on top of that.

He decided that he should go check on Twilight to make sure she was not heading to the Library before Pinkie could get there. After all, he and Twilight still had a job to do. All this frying was making him hungry though.

He spotted Twilight running toward him, her hair and coat looking more immaculate than he had seen them in a while. "Looks like you went to a hairdresser after all." He joked.

Twilight glared at him. "Where were you?" she demanded, "I spent the last hour trying to escape from a crazy Fashionista. I was afraid she was going to die my coat a new color."

Spike chuckled. "You know, I always wondered what you would look like in a burgundy." He joked. "In any case, I've got no clue where to find the Pony in charge of music, so we should probably head out to the Sweet Apple Acres farm to find the Pony in charge of food."

Twilight sighed and nodded. "Hopefully this one won't take too long." She said.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

It took Twilight and Spike nearly a half an hour to reach Sweet Apple Acres, since Spike insisted on walking.

Twilight sighed, annoyed. "Really, Spike, it would be faster if you ride on my back." She said, "You are still a very small dragon, and I just walk faster than you do."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Faster, maybe." He said, "But it would also be degrading for both of us, and that bloody well ain't the impression I want to be making." Sure, he could have been walking faster, but there were still over five hours until sunset, and he promised Pinkie to keep Celestia's Student away from the Library until the party was ready.

Ahead, they saw the farm. It was a well stocked little hub of agriculture: Farmhouse, barn, and a huge apple orchard taking up almost as much space as the entire rest of the town combined. As they approached, they saw an Orange Pony with a cowboy hat, her long blond mane and tail tied loosely at the ends. She charged toward a tree, spun and delivered a solid buck-kick, sending a shock of force up through the tree, dropping the apples into the strategically placed baskets below.

Spike ground to a halt as though struck.

It took Twilight a moment to realize the problem. "She… reminds you of… her?" she asked carefully. Spike had always been guarded about his history before he had been "born" into this world. One thing he had told her a little about, though, was a certain powerful blonde that had stolen his heart in the year leading up to his demise.

Spike shook himself slightly and set his jaw. "Let's just get this over with." He said, more emotion showing in his voice than he usually preferred.

Twilight nodded and walked up to the Orange Pony. "Good afternoon!" She said, "My name is Twilight Sparkle-"

She was cut off as the Orange Pony suddenly caught her hoof up and began shaking it vigorously. "Well, Howdy-do, Miss Twilight, a pleasure makin' yer acquaintance." She said happily, "I'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like makin' new friends!"

Twilight was surprised to find the Earth Pony to be so instantly and aggressively friendly, and was barely able to respond to this.

Applejack released the other pony's hand and winked at her. "So, what can I do for ya?" she asked with a grin.

Twilight willed her arm to stop shaking and looked the blond in the eyes. "Well, I am here supervising preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration." She said, "You're in charge of the food, correct?"

Applejack smiled broadly. "We sure as sugar are." She said, "Would you like to sample some?"

Twilight's stomach growled slightly. It _was_ mid-afternoon, after all, and she and Spike had only had a light breakfast that morning. "Well, as long as it doesn't take too long…" she said.

Applejack was already gone. She rang a dinner bell suspended from a tree nearby and shouted "SOUP'S ON, EVERYPONY!"

As if they were coming out of the trees themselves, a large number of ponies suddenly appeared from every direction, creating a small stampede, and the next thing Twilight and Spike knew, they were seated at a table situated amongst the trees. Applejack appeared at their side and smiled. "Let me introduce you to the Apple family." She said, ignoring Twilight's half-hearted attempt to excuse herself. "This here's Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apple, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp..." She paused for a breath, "Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith." As she said each name, the named pony delivered their specialty to the table, though Applejack noticed that Granny Smith was napping. "Up and at 'em Granny Smith, we got guests."

Granny Smith sat up in her chair and began head toward them at a slow geriatric gait. "Wha-? Soup's on?" she replied, "I'ma comin'."

Applejack placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Why, I'd say you're already part of the family!" she said happily.

Twilight looked at Spike, who was still looking broody, then giggled nervously. "Well, I can see that the food situation is handled." She said, "So I guess we will be on our way."

Twilight heard a slight whimper and looked down. There, Applebloom, a filly with a coat as yellow as Applejack's mane and an apple-red mane tied back with a huge pink bow, stared up at her with huge, orange eyes. "Aren't you going to stay for our late lunch?" she asked, looking like she might cry.

Twilight felt like she was going to break the poor filly's heart. "Sorry…" she rationalized, "but we have an awful lot to do…"

All of the members of the Apple family seemed so disappointed. "Awe…" they said.

Unable to stand hurting the feelings of these nice ponies, Twilight gave in. "Fine."

The Apple family cheered.

Spike sat back against a tree, lost in thought. It wasn't the first time that something or some pony had brought her memory back to him, but it still hurt. The hurt of not being able to see her again never seemed to diminish, not that he wanted it to. He figured it was his penance for not being good enough for her. He supposed it was better than being in some egg-hell for all eternity.

Not much better, but it was what it was.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

It was nearly three hours later when Spike and Twilight made it back to Ponyville.

Spike had regained his demeanor and smiled at his companion. "So the food is all taken care of, then?" he asked, a hint of mischief coloring his voice.

Twilight groaned. "I ate too much pie…" she said, sourly.

Spike grinned. "Alright, that leaves music." He said, "Last thing on the list. Though I still don't know where…"

He tailed off as the sound of birds singing the Royal Introduction March- a tune typically reserved for announcing Princess Celestia herself- reached his ears. He and Twilight headed toward the sound and, in a small clearing, they found a Pink-Maned Yellow-furred Pegasus Pony, hovering in front of a tree full of birds, directing them as they sang.

As they watched, the Pegasus called a halt to the singing, singling out a single blue jay on one of the higher branches. "Excuse me, sir," she said, "I mean no offense, but your rhythm is just a teeny tiny bit off." The bird seemed to understand and nodded.

The Pegasus drifted back to where she could address the whole group and was about to start again when Twilight stepped up to speak with her. "Hello!" Twilight called, startling the Pegasus and causing the birds to flee in several directions. "Oh, my, I am so sorry; I didn't mean to frighten your birds." She said, concerned, "I'm just here to check up on the music, and it sounded beautiful."

The Pegasus landed on the ground and immediately began studying the ground at her feet, occasionally glancing at Twilight as she fidgeted nervously.

Twilight, uncomfortable with the silence, smiled slightly. "I'm Twilight Sparkle." She said, trying to coax the pastel pony into speaking to her. Another long, uncomfortable silence later, she tried a little more. "What's your name?"

The Pegasus lowered her head slightly, and mumbled something too low to hear, not making eye contact with Twilight.

Twilight, failing to hear, asked for clarification. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Again, the yellow pony sank into an even more submissive posture and barely whispered in response.

Twilight had a disbelieving look on her face as she probed once more. "Didn't quite catch that." She said.

The Pegasus whimpered in response, looking away.

Twilight stared at her in disbelief for a moment and then noticed that the birds had returned. "Well," she said, "Looks like your birds are back. So, I guess everything's in order. Keep up the good work!" She smiled as the Pegasus Pony whimpered a little more under her attention.

From his spot behind the bushes, Spike silently cursed. There was still over an hour before Pinkie would be ready, and Twilight would want to take the most direct route to the Library as quickly as possible. He needed something to slow her down or Pinkie would not be ready.

Twilight sighed and walked back over to Spike. "Well, that was easy." She said as he stepped over to her, entering the view of the Pegasus behind her.

The winged pony's eyes widened. "A BABY DRAGON!" she cried, charging over to take a closer look and bulldozing Twilight in the process. "Oh, I've never seen a baby dragon before! He's sooo cute!"

Spike chuckled. "Well, I suppose." He said with no little trace of pride.

The Pony's eyes widened even more. "Oh, and he talks!" she said, "I didn't know Dragons could talk. That's just so incredibly wonderful, I just don't know what to say!" As she spoke, she began to lift herself into the air.

Spike felt the tingle of magic as Twilight lifted him and placed him firmly on her back. "Well, in that case, we'd better be going." she said, beginning to walk away, more than a little annoyed that Spike had drawn the mare out of her shell where she had failed.

The Pegasus stepped up behind her, though. "Oh, wait!" she said, "What's his name?"

Spike assumed as dignified and tough a posture as he could, balanced on Twilight's back as she attempted to walk away. "The name is Spike." He said.

The yellow Pony smiled at him. "Hi, Spike." She said, "I'm Fluttershy. Wow, a talking Dragon. And what do dragons talk about?"

Spike smirked, seeing his opportunity. "We talk about whatever we want, luv." He said, "You want me to tell you a story?"

Fluttershy beamed. "Oh, yes, please!" she said.

Twilight looked questioningly at the Dragon and raised an eyebrow.

Spike smiled to himself. He was always evasive when it came to his life before being an egg. He had only mentioned a few things to her, never revealing too much. A story would be just the thing to slow the bookworm down. Twilight would want to listen to this story even more than Fluttershy.

Spike stood up on Twilight's back. "Long ago, in a distant place, there lived a man by the name of William." He began, "William fancied himself a poet, but truth be told, he was not very good at it. He lived with his mother, and loved a young woman."

As Spike spoke, he could feel Twilight slowing down, little by little, and he knew she was listening as well.

Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, I do love romantic stories." She said.

Spike frowned slightly. "Sorry, Fluttershy." He said, "But this is not about her. William tried and tried to prove his love for his lady, but she spurned his affections. He wished he could find a way to be stronger, more dangerous, so he could make her love him. Unfortunately, he found what he was looking for, in the form of another woman. Drusilla."

He said the name softly, but with such power and emotion that both ponies felt a chill run down their spines.

Spike looked from Fluttershy to Twilight, who he noticed had stopped entirely. He hopped off the Violet pony's back and stepped away where he could turn and face them both. With both of their attention riveted on him, he continued.

"Drusilla was a dark, evil creature. A Vampire. She knew what William desired, and she gave it to him. The strength, the power, and the will to use it. The only catch was that it would cost him his soul, and all the goodness he had in him. Drusilla made William into a Vampire, and together, they traveled the world in the night, consumed by the Darkness, and did a great deal of evil for hundreds of years."

Fluttershy looked like she was about to cry.

Spike smiled softly and continued. "Fortunately, William met a girl with a golden heart. A powerful woman who was determined to stand against such evil. The Slayer. William and the girl tested each other time and again, and they learned to respect each other's strengths. There were greater evils, and William and the Slayer fought them together, until there came a day when William realized that he could not fight her anymore. She drove him to become a good man once again, and she drove him to get his soul back. In the end, the greatest evil of all came for the girl, determined to pull her and all she cared for down into the darkness. When they faced it, William faced the light of the sun, and with Celestia's power, he drove the Evil and all of its minions back into the depths and seal it away once and for all."

Spike finished speaking with a note of finality to indicate that he was done.

Fluttershy stared at him. "W-what happened to them after that?" she asked.

Spike looked at her. "That is a tale for another day." He said, looking at the sun, now sinking on the horizon. "We have places to be."

Twilight seemed to realize for the first time since she had stopped, that she had, in fact, stopped. "Spike is right; we need to be getting to the library." She said, "We have to rest up for the celebration tomorrow."

As Twilight turned to walk away, Spike waved Fluttershy closer to him. "Are you coming to the party Pinkie Pie is throwing tonight?" He whispered, drawing a nod from the yellow Pegasus. "Good. I need you to fly there ahead of us and let Pinkie know we are on our way."

Fluttershy smiled at Spike and giggled and then nodded, and flew off.

Twilight watched as the Pegasus Pony vanished from sight and then turned to her companion. "William died, didn't he?" she asked in a tone that conveyed a deep sorrow.

Spike looked pointedly at her for a moment, and then nodded. "Celestia's Sun is deadly to a Vampire." He said, "But the Princess works in mysterious ways."

He walked on, refusing to elaborate.

In no time at all, they had arrived at the Library, a decently sized building that was, for some reason, shaped like a tree.

Spike looked at the building for a moment. "This is it?" he asked, "Who is supposed to live in that? Winnie the flippin' Poo? What kind of Architect builds a house shaped like a tree, anyway?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. She never really understood when Spike started ranting like that. Probably his old life coming through. She opened the door and walked into the dark building. "Come on, Spike." she said, "We need to find that book so we can be prepared for what's coming. Now, where is that light?"

As if on command, the light came on, revealing dozens of ponies of all shapes, colors and forms. "SURPRISE!" they all shouted.

Twilight's jaw dropped in shock.

The Pink Pony she had seen earlier that day suddenly popped up in front of her. "Surprise!" she yelled, "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!" She began to hop. "Where you surprised? Where you? Where you? Huh? Huh? Huh?" she bounded easily over Twilight's head, to land lightly on the other side.

"Very surprised." Twilight admitted, "Libraries are supposed to be quiet."

Pinkie Pie laughed. "Well, that's silly." She said, "What kind of welcome party would this be if it were quiet? I mean, duh. Boring. You see, I saw you when you first got here, remember, you were all 'Hello' and I was all gasp! Remember? You see, I never saw you before and if I'd never saw you before than that means you were new, cause I know everypony, and I mean EVERYpony in Ponyville, and if you're new then you haven't met anyone yet, and if you haven't met anyone yet, then you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends then you must be lonely, and I had an idea! And that's why I went Gasp! I would throw a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville! See, and now you have lots and lots of friends!"

As Pinkie Pie spoke, Twilight made her way slowly across the room and picked up a slightly odd looking cupcake. As Pinkie finished her soliloquy the other four ponies that she had met over the course of the day- Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy- stepped forward to count themselves amongst Twilights new friends.

Not exactly sure how to respond to their show of friendship, Twilight took a bite out of the Cupcake to cover her reluctance and give her a moment to think a good response. A moment later, her face turned several shades more scarlet, and tears began to well in her eyes.

Applejack, who was standing nearest to Twilight, noticed the alarming change in her coloring. "Are you okay, Sugarcube?" she asked as Twilight suddenly gasped and grabbed a nearby soda and then fled up the stairs at the far end of the room.

Pinkie Pie smiled "Awe," she said, "She is so happy she is crying!"

Spike picked up the remains of the cupcake and sniffed at the suspicious red liquid that was oozing out of it. "Pinkie, did you, by any chance, fry hot sauce into these cupcakes?" he asked incredulously.

Pinkie Pie laughed and picked up another of the cupcakes in question and munched it down. "Yep!" she said, happily, and then looked at the rest of them, who were looking at her funny. "What? They're good!"

Spike just shook his head. Knowing her, that little mishap would likely keep Twilight unsociable for the rest of the evening if he did not come up with something to get her back out here. Perhaps if he found her the book she needed, then she could get the information she wanted and maybe socialize some.

He looked around, aware that there should be a large book to serve as a directory, and a registry of all the books in the library. Not seeing it, he moved over where Pinkie Pie was setting up a game of Pin-the-Tail-On-the-Pony.

The Pink furred Pony noticed Spike's approach and smiled. "Hey, Spike." She said, "Is Twilight coming back? It wouldn't be much a party without the guest of honor."

Spike sighed. "I been thinking about how to get her back out here, Pinkie, but to do that, I need to find the Registry book." He said, "It's a big book that lists all the books in the library, and their locations. You seen it?"

Pinkie Pie thought for a moment then smiled as she remembered. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "I remember! There was a big book on that table over there, the one with all of the snacks, 'cause I saw that table when I came in, and I was all like, 'That table would be great for snacks' but there was a book there, so I had Ditsy Doo move it so we could put the snacks there."

Spike nodded, and searched the room for the blond Pony. He found her at the refreshment table, smiling and talking to a frustrated appearing Rarity.

The Violet Maned Unicorn glared at the Pegasus and groaned in exasperation. "You can't just go double dipping the chips in the dip, Ditsy!" she was saying. "It is not sanitary. Honestly, you almost might as well put your whole face in the dip bowl."

Ditsy Doo cocked her head at the white furred Unicorn. "But don't we all put our faces in the bowl to dip the chips?" she asked, "I mean, we are ponies, so it's not like we can… Oh, hi Spike."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Hello, Ditsy Doo. Hello… um… Rarity, was it?" he asked. Twilight had told him of her ordeal with the elegant white Unicorn during their walk to the farm.

The White Mare looked him over. "Indeed." She said, "You were with Twilight, correct? What are you, to her? A pet?"

Spike glared at her. "Who the hell are you calling a pet, you insufferable nag?" He demanded.

Rarity's eyes widened. "NAG?" she grated. "How dare you, you poor excuse for a Purple Handbag lining!"

"Purple haired clown-horse."

"Spiney Lizard."

"Prissy Porcelain Pony."

"Tiny Dinosaur."

"High-Brow Country Tailor."

Rarity's eyes widened. "Well, I Never!" she said, turning and stalking off, fuming.

Ditsy looked from Rarity's retreating back to Spike and back again. "I…don't think that was such a good idea, Spike." She said, concern coloring her voice. "Rarity is nice, usually, but she is not so forgiving when she is angry."

Spike chuckled. "I think I can handle one angry Unicorn." He said confidently, "In any case, you're the one I wanted to talk to. Pinkie Pie said that you moved the large Registry book from that table over there. I need it."

The Pegasus-Pony thought for a moment and then smiled. "I put it over there on the shelf." She said, indicating the large book sitting on the top shelf far above where Spike could hope to reach it.

Spike looked up at the book and rolled his eyes. "Great." he said, "So the Registry book is all the way up there on the top shelf. I don't suppose I could ask you to fetch it down for me, Ditsy?"

Ditsy smiled and saluted the small dragon. "No problem." She said spreading her wings and lifting into the air to retrieve the book off the shelf.

Rainbow Dash, who had been engaged in some boasting on the other side of the room, spotted Ditsy tugging on the book on the top shelf and immediately saw the trouble. "Ditsy Doo, What are you doing?" she called, "That isn't such a good -"

The Rainbow-Maned Pony did not manage to finish her sentence, as upon hearing her name, Ditsy Doo turned to look at her, inadvertently pulling the book from the shelf as she did. Sure enough, the book was far heavier than the hovering Pegasus had expected, swinging in her hooves and causing her to go into a spin. At the far end of the spin, the book slid from her hooves and fell.

Spike stared transfixed as the train wreck of an accident happened. He stared as the clumsy Pegasus pirouetted through the air, and he stared as the book slipped and fell. He watched the trajectory and speed of the projectile as if sailed through the air, and he could not move, even while every ounce of his old self told him he could still get out of the way. He just could not stop watching.

"Oh, Bugger." He said, as the large, four-inch-thick, hard bound volume slammed into his thick dragon skull. His vision flashed, he fell backward, and the last thing that he recalled was Fluttershy crying his name.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Spike awoke. The soft blanket on which he lay felt warm against his pale skin. The Lair that his newly restored Drusilla had chosen after his injury was not the most comfortable place in the world, but he had slept in worse.

He shifted slightly and was immediately reminded of the injuries he had sustained in the battle against Buffy Summers and that other Slayer. He and Drusilla had come out of that battle remarkably well, considering that they had been up against two Slayers and Angelus as well.

The ritual had been a success, and his beloved Sire had been restored to her former glory, and that they had killed the newer Slayer was merely icing on the cake. The battle had, however cost Spike the use of his legs, and though he knew that the injury was not permanent, he did not like feeling like an invalid around Drusilla.

As if summoned by his thoughts, the darkly lovely Vampire swept into the room, smiling when she saw that he was awake. "Hello Spike, my Darling." She said, "How are you feeling, my sweet?"

Spike sighed. "I feel the same as I did Yesterday." He said sourly. "I hate being stuck in this bed, unable to move, having to have my meals brought to me. Mostly, though, I am bored, Love."

Drusilla looked at the white haired Vampire. "I see." She said, "How about I tell you a story, then? One that Darla told me long ago?"

Spike sighed and nodded. Anything was better than sitting around staring at the blank walls. He pulled himself into a seated position and gave Dru his full attention.

Drusilla smiled. "A long, long time ago, before even the Great Master awoke to terrorize this world," She began, "there were a pair of Princesses, one of light, one of dark. The Princess of Light ruled over the Day, and all of those who dwell in the light. The Princess of Dark ruled the Night, and all of those that Dwelled in the Shadows."

"One night, it is said that the Princess of Dark became unhappy and jealous of the Princess of Light, because of how her followers rejoiced in the light and slept in the Dark, where the Princess of Dark's followers were driven back by the light of day. She refused to lower the Moon, and swore to bring endless night for her people."

"In order to preserve her own followers, The Princess of Light used the greatest power she could find, to seal her sister away inside the Moon, where she has been trapped ever since."

"Legend says though, that when the greatest darkness is buried, and the Old Ones are no more, the Great Princess of the Dark shall return, to enshroud the world in endless Night once again."

Drusilla smiled at Spike. "Oh, Spike," she said wistfully, "Wouldn't that be wonderful, to never have to worry about having the Sun come out again?"

Spike smiled. Then he frowned. He felt like he had heard a story like that somewhere before. As he began to realize this, the room became indistinct and blurred. A moment later, it was gone.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Spike stirred and opened his eyes, groaning slightly as he did so.

"He's awake!"

He turned at the sound of Fluttershy's voice, and looked through bleary eyes to see the timid pony as well as Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Ditsy Doo, and even Rarity all watching him with genuine concern in their eyes.

Twilight moved to Spikes side and gave the dragon a hug. "You had us so worried, Spike." She said, "I was so afraid when they told me you had been hit with that book. I was terrified you were seriously injured."

Ditsy Doo approached, looking very ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry Spike; I didn't mean to hit you with it." She said.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Of course you didn't mean it, Ditsy." he said. "It was an accident. Now, how long was I out?"

Pinkie Pie stepped up. "Too long!" she said, "Not that the party went on without you or anything, after all, Parties tend to end when people get hurt. But still, we only have a few minutes left before the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration! We need to get going, or we'll miss the Princess raising the Sun."

She and the others wasted no more time in hurrying out the door, with Twilight and Spike trailing behind.

Twilight looked at Spike with more than a little concern. "Are you feeling okay to come along?" She asked. "If you want, you can stay behind and rest some more."

Spike caught up his travel sack, containing the few things he called his own. "I'm fine." He said, waving off her concern. "Besides, I wouldn't miss the Princess doing her thing for anything."

Twilight nodded, and the pair followed the others.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Even Spike had to admit that when it came to the decorations in the Festival Hall, Rarity had outdone herself. The entire building sparkled, swathed in curtains and tapestries of a thousand brilliant hues. The sky, clearly visible through the Hall's windows, was completely clear of clouds, proving that Rainbow's task was completed, and a table full of a stunning array of apple-based treats dominated one side of the room, fruit of Applejack's efforts.

Fluttershy hovered in front of a small stand whereupon her feathered performers were perched, ready to sing as instructed, and Rarity stood on the balcony, ready to open the curtain to reveal the Princess, who had, according to certain sources, had arrived quietly in the night and was preparing in her dressing room alone.

Everything was in place and all was in order as the Ponies filed in talking animatedly amongst themselves.

Pinkie Pie appeared at Twilight's side. "Isn't this exciting?" she exclaimed, "Are you excited, cause I'm excited. I've never been so excited- Well, except for that time I saw you walking into town and I went gasp!, but I mean, really, who can top that?"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash shared a glance and a smirk at Pinkie's antics as the Music began at Fluttershy's direction, announcing the Mayor's cue to introduce the Celebration and the Princess.

Spike chose to hang back, carefully fingering the crossbow concealed in his bag. Something bad was coming. He could tell.

The Mayor stepped into the spotlight and smiled at her constituents. "Fillies and Gentlecolts," she began, "As mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!" This drew a chorus of cheers from the assembled ponies. "In just a few moments," the Mayor continued, "our town will witness the magic of the Sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest Day of the Year."

As the Mayor spoke Spike noticed Twilight's gaze suddenly going to one of the windows. Following her gaze, he saw the Moon, hovering ominously there, in the sky. He could clearly see the series of shadows that they called the "Mare in the Moon" as well as several stars that seemed to be moving alarmingly toward the Moon itself. A moment later, the Stars vanished behind the Moon, and the "Mare" suddenly faded out. Not a good sign.

"And now," the Mayor continued, uninterrupted, "it is my great honor to introduce to you the Ruler of our land, the very Pony that gives us the Sun and Moon each and every Day, the Good, the Wise, the Bringer of Harmony to all of Equestria, Princess Celestia!"

Rarity pulled the rope, opening the curtain, and Fluttershy had her birds sing. The Spotlight turned and revealed an empty space behind the curtain where the Princess should have been. A collective gasp spread through the room, as they realized that she was not there.

Twilight looked at Spike, who narrowed his eyes. "This can't be good." The Purple pony said.

The Mayor was clearly as confused as everyone else. "Remain calm, Everypony." she said, "There must be a reasonable explanation."

Pinkie Pie started hopping up and down excitedly. "Ooh! Ooh! I love guessing Games!" she said. "Is she hiding?"

Rarity, who had gone to check the Dressing Room, returned with a concerned look on her face. "She's Gone!" she declared.

Pinkie looked around. "Oh, She's good." She said, but then she gave a startled cry as a mysterious sparkling black mist began to gather on the balcony where the Princess should have been.

The cloud of black particles built up and then separated, revealing a Solid black winged Unicorn with a Moon cutie-mark and a midnight blue headdress and collar. Her mane and tail were composed of the Sparkling black cloud that had brought her here, and she stared disdainfully down at the assembled ponies with her Midnight blue eyes.

"Nightmare Moon." Twilight said, terrified in the knowledge that she had been correct.

Nightmare smiled haughtily. "Oh, my beloved subjects." She said, "It has been sooo long since I have seen your precious little sun-loving faces."

Rainbow Dash was first to recover. "What did you do with our Princess?" she demanded, attempting to fly up and confront Nightmare Moon directly, but her tail was caught by Applejack, who stopped her from endangering herself.

Nightmare Moon laughed. "Why?" she asked, "Am I not Royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?"

Pinkie Pie smiled broadly. "Ooh, Ooh! More guessing games!" she said, "Umm… Pokey Smokes! How about Queen Meanie? No! Black Snootie! Black Sn-ummph!"

Pinkie cut off as Applejack shoved an apple into her mouth.

Nightmare Moon turned to Fluttershy, who cringed in terror. "Does my crown no longer count, now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?" she demanded, then turned to Rarity. "Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?"

Twilight Sparkle stood up as tall as she could and faced the Dark Princess. "I did." She said, drawing Nightmare's gaze. "And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon: Nightmare Moon."

This drew a gasp from the assembled Ponies.

Nightmare Moon looked down at the small Purple Pony and smiled evilly. "Well, well, well," she said, "Somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I am here."

Twilight's strength withered under Nightmare Moon's gaze. "You're here to… to…"Was all she could get out.

Nightmare laughed evilly. "Remember this day, Little Ponies, for it was your last." She said, "From this moment forth, the Night will last FOREVER!"

Spike stood toward the back of the Hall, crossbow in hand. He had been watching up to this point, waiting to determine if this Pony was the threat he expected. Now, he stared defiantly at the Dark Princess before him. "Not if I have anything to say about it!" he declared, leveling the crossbow on her and pulling the trigger.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

A.N. Ah, yes, a lovely little Cliffhanger.

Before anyone asks, yes, I am aware that there is an "Angel" in both series as well, and I would be lying if I told you I was not thinking about it.

If Spike seems a little out of character, it is because he has been living in Equestria for something like five to seven years at this point.

For those of you wondering why I changed up the order of the meetings, it is because this Spike had both a reason to want to go faster, and the intelligence to notice that Sweet Apple Acres is outside of Ponyville, and thus out of the way, where as the rest were in town.

I am going with "Ditsy Doo", as the name of that Pegasus, because, to be honest, I hate the name "Derpy". My apologies to Derpy fans.

Those who are hoping for SpikeXRarity: Sorry. It is unlikely. Spike is far too much of a Human at heart to fall in love with a pony, and even if he was more acclimated, to the extent that the idea would be open to him, Rarity is not Spike's type.

As always, constructive criticism is happily accepted.


	3. Chapter 2: The Elements of Harmony

The Name is Spike

By Skye Silverwing

Chapter 2: The Elements of Harmony

Nightmare Moon laughed about her apparent victory, her swirling magic proving that she would indeed be able to follow through on her threat to make the night last forever.

She was confident in her own abilities, but when she spotted the Baby Dragon pointing a crossbow at her, it gave her pause. He had a look in his eyes that seemed… familiar to her.

As she tried to determine what it was about him that felt so familiar, he let fly with this crossbow, and it was simply because her magic was already swirling around her that she managed to bat the bolt from the air.

She sneered contemptuously at her purple-scaled assailant. "You dare to attack ME!" she demanded, hurling a lightning bolt at the little brute.

The Dragon rolled away from the burst of electricity, reloading his weapon as he did so, and fired again.

Nightmare had no trouble batting this second bolt down, but the Mayor of this pathetic little town pointed at her. "Seize her!" the Mayor Mare shouted, "Only she knows where the Princess is!"

A trio of the Royal Guard Pegasi charged forward, clearly intending to capture her. She looked at them with contempt. "Stand back, you Foals!" she demanded, flicking lightning bolts at them almost off-handedly. She locked eyes with the dragon, standing defiantly on the far end of the room, loading another bolt into his crossbow. "We will meet again." She said, and then drew her magic in and wrapped it around her form, and became a cloud of purple mist.

Safe in her mist form, she left the building, and the town. Her return to Equestria, predestined as it was, had exhausted her magic considerably, and she would need to rest before she began reshaping this world.

In the meantime, she would watch that Pony who knew her and that Dragon as well, and perhaps head off any trouble they might cause.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Twilight and Spike burst through the doors into the library. They both knew it would take the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon once again, and the only way to find them was to locate the Reference Guide to them here in the Library.

Spike turned to the Registry Book for the library and began paging through it to find the book's location. Twilight, ever impatient, simply used her magic to grab a dozen books off the shelves, reading each cover and then discarding them. "Elements, Elements, Elements…" she repeated the mantra as she grabbed several more books "How can I stop Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony?"

At that moment Rainbow Dash appeared, glaring accusingly at Twilight Sparkle. "And just what ARE the Elements of Harmony?" She demanded, "And how did you know about Nightmare Moon, huh? Are you a spy?"

Twilight was backing away from her interrogator until Applejack dragged the angry Pegasus away from her. "Simmer down, Sally." the Earth Pony said, "She ain't no spy. But she sure knows what's goin' on, don't you, Twilight?"

As she spoke, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Ditsy Doo all stepped up to listen to Twilight's answer.

Twilight sighed. "I read all about the Prediction of Nightmare Moon." She said, "Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her. But I don't know where to find them or where they are, or even what they do. That is why Spike and I are looking for..."

"Elements of Harmony: A reference guide." Pinkie Pie read, indicating a book, sitting on the shelf.

Spike trotted over to retrieve the book. "How did you find that?" he asked.

Pinkie hopped a little. "It was under 'E'." she said in a sing-song voice.

Spike face-palmed. "Of course it was under 'E'." he said, "Twilight hasn't managed to reorganize this Library yet."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Hey!" she said, "I am great at organizing things."

Spike walked the book over to Twilight. "Are you saying that I did not find 'Harry Pottok and the Unicorn's Stone' under 'Classic Literature' last week?" he challenged.

Twilight took the book. "Just because other ponies don't understand my organization system does not mean that I am not good at organizing." She said, "Now, let me see."

Spike muttered about new organization systems every two weeks, and stalked off to get his crossbow reloaded.

Twilight looked at the book. "Here it is." She said, "There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said that the last known location of the five Elements was in the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. It is located in what is now… The Everfree Forest."

As she was finishing, Spike suddenly cursed, firing his crossbow at the window. "Damn!" he said, "I missed!"

Twilight hurried over to where her familiar was standing. "What is it, Spike?" She asked, as he dashed out the door, reloading as he went, and began trying to search the shadows. "What did you see?"

Spike bit back another curse. "It was Nightmare Moon." He said, "I'm sure of it. I saw a cloud of that Purple fog that she uses hovering outside the windows. She was listening in on us."

Twilight turned to the other Ponies that had followed them outside, "Spike and I can handle this on our own." She said, "You girls can go back home if you-"

She was immediately cut off by Applejack. "No can do, Sugarcube." She said, "We sure aren't letting friends of ours go into that creepy forest without help."

The other Ponies all agreed.

Spike looked them over. "Hold on, we can't leave the Library unattended." He said, "The books may be key to figuring out how to use the Elements later. Ditsy, I need you to stay and make sure nothing happens."

The blond Pony nodded, and gave a salute. "I got it!" she said, turning and flying back into the building.

Twilight looked at the others. "Are you girls sure you don't want to stay behind as well?" she asked.

Applejack and the others nodded. "We're sticking to you like Caramel on a Candy Apple." Applejack said.

Pinkie Pie smiled broadly. "Especially if there's candy apples in there." She said, noticing the eyes suddenly on her, "What? Those things are good."

Twilight sighed and the group walked into the forest, unaware of the dangers that lay ahead of them.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

The Purple cloud wisped around behind into the deep shadows of the forest and reformed into Nightmare Moon. She paused for a moment to catch her breath. She had not expected the Dragon to catch her eavesdropping, and had not completely avoided his bolt this time. Even in her mist form, she still had enough substance that the shaft had hurt as it passed through. It had not wounded her, but it had hurt.

She considered what she had learned. Clearly the pony and her group were on their way to her old home to retrieve the Elements of Harmony. That would not do. With the Elements, they would surely be able to banish her once again, and she could not stand one more minute in the lifeless solitude of the Moon. She had to stop them.

She had also learned the Dragon's name: Spike.

Using her Magic, she summoned a Pony Conduit (PC) and connected to the World Information and Knowledge Interface (WIKI). Surely she would find information on this Spike on the Wiki.

In moments she had found him: William the Bloody, AKA Spike. A Vampire, of the Line of Aurelious.

Nightmare Moon howled in rage. "DAMN YOU, CELESTIA!" she shouted, "HE WAS ONE OF MINE!"

With that, she did not waste another moment. She changed back into her mist form. Those little Ponies would rue the day they crossed Nightmare Moon in the name of Celestia. And by all the stars that had aided in her escaped, she would have her Vampire back, or see him dead with her magic.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

The six Ponies and their Dragon companion made their way through the darkness that filled the forest, the moonlight filtering through the trees, and casting shadows over their path, as impenetrable as the underbrush on either side.

Twilight Sparkle led the way cautiously, not sure what lay ahead. "So… none of you have been in here before?" she asked again.

Rarity, who was following Twilight, shuddered. "Heavens no." she said, "Just look at it, it's dreadful."

Applejack quickened her pace slightly. "And it ain't natural." She said, "Folks say it don't work the same as Equestria."

Spike, who was eyeing the shadows suspiciously, turned. "Yeah, I looked up on this place once a while back." He said, "Seems like nature functions on its own here without the aid of magic."

Twilight looked at the Dragon. "But how is that possible?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash stepped out of a particularly deep shadow, a mischievous grin on her face. "No pony knows." She said creepily, "You know why?" She smiled, seeing that she had drawn the attention of Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

Spike felt a chill run up his Spine as he watched Rainbow Dash approach her intended victims, and he stepped closer to Twilight.

Rainbow ignored an admonishment from Applejack and stalked closer to the other three Ponies. "Because every pony who has ever come in," she said, "Has never… come… OUT!"

With the final word, she shouted, intending to startle her three companions, but the cliff top upon which they stood suddenly gave way, sending all of the Earth-bound Ponies sliding toward the edge of the cliff.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took to the air, moving quickly to rescue their friends. "Fluttershy, Quick!" Rainbow shouted, flying down to catch Pinkie Pie, while Fluttershy dragged Rarity to a stop.

Applejack managed to catch an exposed root, stopping herself, and Spike grabbed hold of Twilight and buried his other claw in the rock of the cliff, leaving furrows in the exposed stone until he had nearly reached the edge of the cliff, and Twilight was dangling dangerously off.

Twilight hung on for dear life, kicking at the cliff face, struggling to find purchase. "Spike!" she cried, unable to pull herself up.

Applejack, seeing that the Dragon simply did not have the strength to pull the Pony to the top of the cliff, let go of the root and began a more controlled decent. "Hold on!" she called, "I'm Comin'!"

She came to a stop next to Spike so she could help steady him and support some of Twilight's weight.

Twilight looked up at her. "Applejack!" she cried, "What do we do?"

The Earth Pony thought for a moment and glanced upward, then seemed to get an idea. "Let go." She said.

Twilight's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?" she demanded.

Spike looked at Applejack and raised an eyebrow.

Applejack looked reassuringly at Twilight. "No, I ain't." She said, "I promise you'll be safe."

Twilight looked at her with disbelief. "That's not true!" she argued.

Applejack looked from Twilight to Spike. "Now listen here, what I'm sayin' to you is the honest truth." She said. "Let go, and you'll be safe."

Spike looked at the Blond pony and Twilight nodded, trusting her. Spike let Twilight go, and Twilight fell, screaming, for several feet before she her fall was suddenly arrested as she landed in the hooves of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Fluttershy slipped slightly under the weight, but then regained her stability. "Sorry girls," she said, "I'm not used to holding more than a bunny or two."

Applejack and Spike, sure of Twilight's safety, made their way down a series of ledges along the side of the cliff. As they did, Spike shot Applejack a glare. "Why didn't you just tell her Rainbow and Fluttershy were down there?" he asked, "It would have reassured her quite a bit."

Applejack looked at the Dragon. "I ain't blind, Spike." She said, "I know Twilight still doesn't quite trust us. But if we're gonna get out of this with our hides intact, we have to be able to trust each other."

Spike could not fault the Pony's logic. They made their way down to where the rest of the Ponies were waiting.

Rainbow, being Rainbow, was already boasting. "…and once Pinkie and Rarity were safe, Whoosh! Me and Fluttershy Looped-the-loop around and WAM! Caught you right in the nick of time."

Spike suddenly felt that chill again. He looked up and spotted something up ahead. "What the bloody hell is THAT?" he demanded, pointing at the huge feline as it jumped menacingly out of the shadows ahead.

Twilight stared. "A Manticore!" she cried, recalling it from a book she had read years earlier.

The Winged Lion Roared, baring its claws and prepping its scorpion-like tail to strike.

Twilight looked at the others. "We've gotta get past it!" she said.

The beast charged at Rarity, slashing at her with its claws.

Rarity dodged and kicked the Manticore in the nose. "Take that, you ruffian!" she said.

The Manticore roared blowing Rarities hair back, and causing it to poof and frizz. Rarity screamed "My hair!" and fled.

Fluttershy watched Rarity run by. "Wait." She said quietly. No one heard her.

The Manticore moved to chase the fleeing Unicorn, but it felt a sudden weight on its back.

Applejack managed to plant herself atop the beast. "Yeehaw!" she cried, "Get along little Dawgie!"

The Manticore tried to buck the Pony off, and stomped past Fluttershy again.

Fluttershy held up a hoof. "Wait!" she said again, still unheard.

The Manticore finally managed to fling he cowgirl pony from his back, flipping her past Rainbow Dash.

Applejack acknowledged her friend. "All yours partner." She said as she flew by.

Rainbow Dash saluted. "I'm on it!" she said, flying rapidly past Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was blown off balance by Rainbow's passing. "Wait!" she cried, the words lost in the gust.

Rainbow flew in a rapid spiral around the Manticore until it managed to tag her with the side of its tail, sending her tumbling in a heap.

Twilight and the others hurried to their downed friend in concern. "Rainbow!" Twilight cried.

Spike charged at the Manticore, alternating between fire and his crossbow. Neither was proving particularly effective, as the Beast's thick fur drained the impact from the bolts, and the flames were just not hot enough or with sufficient range. The Manticore gave a roar of rage and swatted the Dragon, pinning him down with a huge claw.

Twilight and the others, with Rainbow recovered, cried out in concern. "Spike!"

They began to charge toward the beast, intending to rescue their friend, when Fluttershy stepped in their way. "WAAAAAAAAAAAIT!" She cried, loud enough that everyone stopped to look at her.

Fluttershy turned to look at the captor of her Dragon friend. She locked eyes with it and approached it, a gentle smile on her face.

The other Ponies all cringed as the beast pulled its claw back to strike at her, but Fluttershy simply smiled. "Shhh… It's okay." She said, looking deeply into the creature's eyes and then she gently nuzzled its paw, looking up at it with her gentle eyes.

The beast paused a moment before turning up its paw (releasing Spike in the process) and revealing a large black thorn, which had been stabbed into it.

Fluttershy saw the thorn and smiled up at the Manticore. "Awwe… you poor, poor little baby." She said, sympathizing with the creature's pain. "Now, this might hurt for juuust a second." She calmly took the end of the thorn in her mouth, and with a swift tug, she pulled it from the beast's palm.

The Manticore Roared in pain, causing the others to fear for Fluttershy's safety again, but then the oversized feline simply began to lick the gentle Pegasus's face in appreciation.

Fluttershy giggled. "Awe, you're just a little old baby kitty, aren't you?" she said as the Manticore licked her mane in the wrong direction. "Yes you are. Yes you are."

The rest of the ponies took advantage of the big cat's distraction to move past it, and Spike took a moment to try to pick up the pieces of his shattered pride.

As Fluttershy managed to extract herself from the Manticore, Twilight approached her. "How did you know about the thorn?" she asked.

Fluttershy, whose mane was completely licked sideways from how it usually fell, smiled. "I didn't." she said, "Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little Kindness."

Twilight thought about that for a moment, and then smiled back.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

As the hoof falls of the Ponies faded into the distance, the Thorn, discarded by Fluttershy, dissolved into purple mist.

Nightmare Moon cursed her luck. She had nearly had him. If only the Manticore had held him in range a little longer, she could have used her power to begin to sway the dragon to her side. Unfortunately, she had not counted on the raw power of that yellow Pony's compassion, disgusting as it was, which had forced Nightmare's control of the beast to end.

It was no matter, though. She still more than enough tricks up her "sleeve". Soon that lost Vampire would be hers again, and those ponies would all be dead. Sliding sinuously along the ground, Nightmare Moon made great time to reach her next trap ahead of the Ponies.

"We'll see if they can deal with this!" she said, sinisterly.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

The Ponies had been walking for several minutes in the darkness and muck of the forest when they came upon an area where the trees overhead thickened to a point where they blocked out every trace of the light of the moon, producing a level of darkness deeper than any that they had seen so far.

Rarity was complaining. "My eyes need a rest from all this icky muck." She said, and then they stepped under the trees and all was dark. "I didn't mean literally."

The blackness was all consuming and the ponies could not see their hooves in front of their faces.

Twilight was concerned. "That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces and we wouldn't even know it." She said.

Spike looked in the direction of her voice. "How about a little light, luv?" he suggested, "Your horn glows when you use magic, so maybe it will help us…" he cut off as a shiver ran down his spine.

Applejack looked toward her hooves. "Awe, I think I stepped in something." She said.

Suddenly, Fluttershy screamed.

Applejack looked toward the other pony. "It's just mud." She said, then gave a startled cry herself.

They were surrounded by huge shadowy creatures with glowing eyes and mouths.

Spike leveled his crossbow at one of the things and fired, the bolt giving a solid thock as it struck it head on.

But the struck creature didn't even so much as flinch. It, like its companions, continued to glare at the Ponies and Dragon caught flanked by their forces.

The ponies closed ranks, screaming, as Spike desperately reloaded his crossbow and tried to put himself between his terrified charges and their assailants.

Suddenly, the sound of giggling penetrated their terror stricken minds. As one, they looked toward the sound.

Pinkie pie was standing face to face with one of the beasts, giggling and making faces back at it.

Twilight looked at her foolish-seeming friend. "Pinkie, what are you doing?" she called, "Run!"

Pinkie just giggled a little more. "Oh, girls," she said, "don't you see?"

She began to dance a little, and a little light music began to play, backing her up, and for some reason, dissolving the darkness as she started to sing.

"_When I was a little Filly and the sun was going down~"_ she sang.

Twilight raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Tell me she's not…" she said.

"_The Darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown~"_ sang Pinkie.

Rarity glanced at Twilight. "She is." She said.

"_I'd hide under my pillow, from what I thought I saw, but Granny Pie said that wasn't the way, to deal with fears at aaaaall~"_

Rainbow Dash looked at Pinkie Pie. "Then what is?" she asked.

"_She said: Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall, and learn to face your fears, you'll see that they can't hurt you just laugh to make them disappear~" _she turned to face one of the beasts. _"Ha. Ha. Ha."_ She turned and smiled at her friends as the face vanished in a puff of smoke and a sound not unlike that of a cork popping from a bottle.

"_Sooooo, Giggle at the ghostly, guffaw at the grossly, crack up at the creepy, whoop it up with the weepy."_ As she sang, pinkie led her friends, who were now giggling as well, nearer to the tree faces, causing them to poof out of existence. _"Chortle at the Pukey, Snortle at the Spooky."_

Even Spike was chuckling now, the absurdity of feeling threatened by the trees having hit him.

"_And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks that he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna-"_ Pinkie dissolves in laugher for a moment, _"LAUGH!"_

With all of the trees back to normal, and the unnatural darkness lifted, all of the Ponies dissolved into helpless giggles, rolling onto the soft grass with their heads together like a bunch of kids.

Spike smiled, and then frowned. "Does that happen often?" he inquired.

The Ponyville Ponies looked at him. "What?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Spike looked right at the Pink Pony. "The whole, singing and dancing thing with musical accompaniment from nowhere." He said, "Does that happen often?"

Pinkie nodded happily. "All the time!" she said, "Why?"

Spike silently cursed. "Don't suppose any of you know anything about a red fellow with a long chin…" he asked.

Pinkie smiled. "You mean like my Uncle Sweet?" she asked, "What about him?"

Spike looked Pinkie in the eye. "We'll have to talk about it later." He said. One crisis at a time. "Let's go."

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Nightmare Moon cursed sulfurously as she moved to the river. Those evil trees had cost her more energy than she had expected, which only made it worse that the pink little pony had wiped out the entire lot of them with a single song.

Now all that stood between those ponies and the castle where she and her sister had grown up were a calm little river, not even deep enough to drown a Filly, and a chasm, bridged by a rope bridge. Neither would be much of a challenge for a group with a Pegasus to fly across.

As much as she would have loved to use her power to turn the river itself into a monster or a wall of water to block them, she simply did not have the energy for that level of spell. And at the rate they were going, they would be to the chasm before she could set anything up there either.

As she debated how to proceed, a huge river Serpent suddenly rose up out of the river in front of her, directly the path of her purple cloud form. Altering her course rapidly, she narrowly avoided hitting the creature straight in the face, but sheared off half of his luxurious mustache as she did.

The Serpent screamed and stumbled backward. "My Mustache!" he cried, his tail writhing in his sorrow, "My beautiful Mustache is destroyed! What a world!"

The creature's writhing tail stirred the water of the river into a wild frothing set of rapids for Twenty miles both ways down the river.

Nightmare Moon could not believe her luck. That would hold the foals for a while at least, and she could use that to her advantage.

Summoning her PC again, Nightmare did a search for "Rainbow Dash," the flier most likely to be used at the chasm. Finding the Rainbow Maned Pegasus's Manespace Page, she looked over the Pony's likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams, smiling evilly as she did so. If she could take Dash out of the Picture, then the other ponies would likely be trapped between the chasm and the little surprise she had worked up for her little dragon friend.

She laughed as she flew. If all went well, the ponies would never even see the Elements of Harmony.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Pinkie Pie led the other Ponies out of the thick part of the woods, still giggling from her earlier song, but she ground to a halt when she saw the rapidly coursing river ahead, causing the others to bump into her from behind.

The water rolled and splashed, undulating in such a roil that there was no way any of the Earthbound Ponies could cross without being swept away.

Pinkie looked at the others behind her. "How are we gonna get across this?" she asked.

Spike looked at the churning water and frowned. "Well, we could have Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash Fly us across, one at a time," he said, "but I don't like the idea of leaving anyone alone where Nightmare Moon can get at them without the rest of us here to help."

The others agreed. None of them wanted to be caught against something like that Manticore on their own.

Spike was about to suggest searching up the river for a bridge or a fallen log or at least a calmer spot to cross the churning waters when the sound of sobbing reached the Ponies' ears. Spike heard it, too.

Looking for the source of the sound, they moved through a line of trees to discover a huge purple river Serpent, writhing and sobbing as he held his hands on his brow, just below his orange mane. His wide mustache, matching his mane in color, had been cropped short on one side.

The Serpent was sobbing and thrashing his tail through the water, agitating it tremendously. "Oh, What a world!" he cried, "What a world!"

Twilight stepped cautiously forward and looked up at the Serpent. "Excuse me, sir," she asked, "why are you crying?"

The Serpent turned to regard the Ponies and their Dragon companion. "Well, I don't know." He said, "I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of Purple smoke just whisked past me, and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off! And now, I look simply horrid!" He dissolved in tears, collapsing backwards and creating a huge splash, soaking everyone on the shore.

Spike face-palmed. "Of all the bloody reasons…" he said, his tone annoyed.

Rainbow had to agree. "Oh, give me a break." She said.

Applejack stepped up. "That's what all the fuss is about?" she said incredulously.

"Of course it is!" Rarity interjected, looking at her friends. "How can you all be so insensitive?" She stepped up to the forlorn creature. "Oh, just look at him." She said, stroking his scales, "Such lovely luminescent scales!"

The Serpent looked at the pony. "I know." He said.

Rarity indicated the creature's mane. "Such an expertly quaffed mane." She complemented.

The Serpent ran a hand through its mane. "Oh, I know, I know" he said, straightening.

Rarity looked up at him with a big smile. "And your fabulous manicure." She complimented.

The Serpent looked down at the pony, happy to have found someone who could understand him. "Oh, it's so true!" he said.

Rarity frowned. "All ruined without your beautiful mustache." She said.

All the composure that the Serpent had regained dissolved. "It's true," he cried, "I'm hideous!"

Rarity took on a look of resolve. "I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulousity go uncorrected!" she declared, and she grabbed one of the large scales from the creature's side, pulling it off.

The Serpent cried out in pain. "Ow! What did you do that for?" he cried.

Rarity displayed the sharp scale to her friends.

Twilight looked at her fashionable friend in confusion. "Rarity," she started, "What are you-"

The Ponies all gasped as Rarity took the blade to her own tail, and, with one swift slash, cleaving the end from its violet length. Seeing this, the Serpent swooned.

The brutal work done, Rarity tossed the blade aside and used her magic to raise the hair from her tail up to the Serpent's face where it joined with the remains of the Serpent's mustache, restoring it to its appropriate (though now purple) length.

The Serpent practically crowed for joy. "My mustache!" he cried, "How wonderful!"

Rarity looked up at the Serpent with a genuine smile on her face. "You look smashing." She said.

Twilight stepped up behind Rarity. "Oh, Rarity," she said, looking at the pony's devastated rear locks. "Your beautiful tail…"

Rarity smiled. "Oh, it's fine my dear." She said, "Short tails are in this season." She waved her shortened tail slightly. "Besides," she said, a slightly sheepish look coming over her, "It'll grow back."

Rainbow looked at Twilight. "So would the mustache." She said.

Twilight smiled, and then brightened. "Hey, we can cross now." She said, wading into the shallow water of the river.

She suddenly felt the ground under her hooves rise, as the serpent made stepping stones with his body. "Allow me." He said, and the Ponies proceeded to hop across the river on the serpent's back. "Oh, my name is Steven, by the way. Let me know if I can help any of you charming creatures in the future, okay?"

Rarity smiled back at him. "We sure will." She said, "You've given me some wonderful fashion ideas."

Spike stepped up next to Rarity. "That was more selfless than I had expected of you." He admitted, glancing meaningfully at her shortened tail.

Rarity smirked at him. "Why, Spike, that almost sounded like a compliment." She mocked.

Spike smirked playfully back. "Not on your life." He said.

The ponies passed quickly through the next line of trees, and came out the other side into a large open area.

Before them stood a large stone structure, clearly build centuries before, its crumbling walls nearly claimed by time and the forest surrounding them.

Twilight smiled happily. "There it is!" she exclaimed, "The Ruins that hold the Elements of Harmony. We finally made it!" With that, the purple unicorn started to run toward the ruins as quickly as she could.

The others followed as quickly as they could. "Wait for us, Twilight!" Applejack called.

Twilight turned and looked back at her friends as she ran. "We're almost there!" she called, but then she screamed as she reached the edge of a deep chasm that should have been spanned by a rope bridge, and barely managed to prevent herself from pitching over the side.

Rainbow Dash caught hold of Twilight's tail, smiling at her as she pulled her back onto solid ground. "What's with you and falling off cliffs today?" Rainbow joked.

The rest of the group caught up and they looked at the chasm. Clearly the ropes of the bridge had broken on the far side years ago, though the bridge hanging from this side seemed to be in remarkably good shape given that it had not been used in centuries.

The chasm itself was deep and far too wide for an Earth Pony to leap across, and there was no other way across in the immediate vicinity.

Pinkie Pie summed their feelings up simply. "Now what?" she said.

Rainbow Dash chuckled and waved her wings in front of Pinkie's face. "Duh." She said.

Pinkie smiled. "Oh yeah!" she said.

Without another word, Rainbow hopped off the edge and flew down the cliff to retrieve the rope for the bridge.

As she began to fly the rope to the support on the far side, though, Spike felt what had come to be an all too familiar shiver down his spine. "Watch yourself, Dash!" he called, "I think there may be trouble waiting over there!"

Rainbow looked back at the Dragon and nodded, then landed on the far side. As she pulled the rope taught, the fog surrounding the chasm began to thicken.

"Rainbow~" whispered a voice from the mist.

Rainbow dropped the rope on the ground and took on a defensive posture. "Who's there?" she demanded, "I ain't scared of you! Show yourself!"

The voice from the fog chuckled. "We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flier in Equestria." It said.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Why, you, of course." The voice replied.

Rainbow's pride inflated slightly. "Really?" she said. "I mean, oh yeah. Me." She pondered for a moment. "Hey you wouldn't mind telling the Wonderbolts that, would ya? 'Cause I have been trying to get into that group for-like-ever."

"No, Rainbow Dash, we want you to join us, the Shadowbolts." The voice resolved into one of a trio of Pegasus Ponies in full flight gear that seemed to absorb what light there was as they stepped out of the fog. "We are the greatest aerial team in the Everfree Forest. Soon we will be the greatest in all of Equestria as well."

The speaker began to slowly circle Rainbow Dash. "But first, we need a captain." She said, beginning to fly around as she spoke, "The most Magnificent, Swiftest, Bravest flyer in all the land."

Rainbow agreed with every quality, her pride ballooning substantially. "Yes, yes, yes, it's all true." She admitted.

The speaker leaned in close. "We need…you." She said, sending Rainbow crowing happily.

Rainbow smiled. "Sign me up!" she said, before turning back to the bridge. "Just let me tie this bridge real quick, and then we have a deal."

"NO!" the Shadowbolt said, "It's them, or us!"

Rainbow was taken aback for a moment, but then she sighed. "Thanks for the offer, but I am afraid I have to say no." she said, "And tell Nightmare Moon that she is going to have to try a lot harder than that to make me leave my friends hanging."

The Shadowbolts were about to respond when a crossbow bolt suddenly sprouted from the lead one's leg. She cried out in pain and the three of them turned to see the purple dragon with his crossbow still trained on her from the far side of the chasm. With a final angry howl, the Shadowbolts dissolved into Nightmare Moon's Purple smoke.

Rainbow tied the rope and then flew back to her friends. "Thanks for the warning Spike." She said, "And the backup. That showed them."

As the ponies began to cross the bridge Rainbow smiled and flew over to Twilight. "I would never leave my friends hanging." She said, "You can always count on me."

Twilight smiled at Rainbow and led the way across the bridge, and paused to regard all of her new friends at the far end of the bridge. She turned when she realized that Spike had not crossed the bridge.

Spike had paused before setting foot on the bridge. Something was not right. He could feel something coming. Something familiar. Something very, very bad.

Spike turned and looked at the pony he spent the last five years coming to know, standing on the other side of the bridge. "Twilight," he called, "There's something I gotta deal with. You lot go on ahead."

Twilight took a step closer to him. "What do you mean, Spike?" she asked, concern rising in her voice, "We need you!"

Spike looked at the pony and the others beyond her and gave a little grin. "You got your part, I got mine." He said, "I believe in you. Stop Nightmare Moon." With that, he slashed the rope on that side of the chasm.

Twilight made to dash across the bridge but was stopped by the others as the bridge fell away. "SPIKE!" the Purple Pony cried, struggling against the others.

Spike looked at them all as the fog began to thicken once more. "Watch each other's backs!" he called, and then he turned and stared into the darkness.

A soft giggle drifted out of the fog. "Oh, Spike…" a sultry voice said, "So noble for a man turned to a pretty purple lizard."

A slight snarl turned Spike's lip as the familiar form melted out of the darkness. His eyes narrowed and the name crossed his lips like a curse. "Drucilla."

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

The curtain of fog had closed, obscuring the other side completely, but still Twilight stared toward the far side of the chasm. The look on her face was one of concern. She knew Spike well enough to know that he would never abandon her unless it was to protect her, which meant that he was likely facing a danger greater than any they had faced so far at that very moment.

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight. "No problem." She said, "I can fly over and fly him back in a jiffy." She prepared to do just that, but Twilight forestalled her.

The look on the purple pony's face had turned to one of resolve. "No." she said, "Spike has his mission and we have ours. He can handle himself, a lot better than you would think. He is buying us time, so we need to use it to find the Elements as quickly as we can."

The assembled Ponies looked at each other doubtfully. "But… we can't just leave him!" Rainbow Dash said. "It wouldn't be right."

Twilight looked at Rainbow and smiled slightly. "Then we better hurry up and get the Elements and get back to him." She said. "He may just be a baby Dragon, but he is stronger than he looks. If we hurry, he will be fine."

The others looked doubtful, but nodded. The six ponies turned, and marched into the Ruins, determined to end it as quickly as possible.

Inside, the Ruins were a sight to behold. The entry chamber was one huge room, a full two hundred feet across, flanked by massive granite walls and large, crumbling columns, standing open to the night sky as the roof had long since crumbled away, with several large doors leading to other sections of the ruined building.

At the far end of the room, standing prominently in the middle, was a sculpture, made up of a central stone orb, and a number of smaller stone orbs suspended on poles radiating out from it.

Rainbow Dash was growing impatient. "Are these them?" she asked, indicating the orbs, "The Elements of Harmony?"

Twilight cocked her head slightly. "I think so." She said, "The book said this was the last place they were seen."

The Pegasus nodded, and she and Fluttershy flew up and collected the orbs, flying them down and placing them carefully on the floor in front of Twilight.

Pinkie Pie counted the Orbs and looked up in dismay. "1, 2, 3, 4… There's only five." She said, "Where is the sixth Element?"

Twilight pulled her notes from her saddlebag. "The Book said that the Final Element is unknown." She said, "But it said that when the other five Elements are brought together, the Sixth will be revealed."

Applejack looked doubtful. "What the hay is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

Twilight shook her head. "I'm not sure," She said, "but I have an idea. Stand back; I don't know what this is going to do."

She closed her eyes and her horn began to glow as she began to channel her magic into the orbs.

Applejack looked at the others. "Come on y'all" she said, leading the others toward the door, "She needs to Concentrate."

The other four ponies followed Applejack's lead and headed out the door.

As soon as they were out of sight, however, a sparkling purple cloud of fog appeared through one of the cracks in the wall.

Nightmare Moon had been observing all of the events since the Ponies had reached the chasm. She had been curious about what the ponies had intended, having searched through the Ruins and found no sign of the Elements they sought.

She suspected that the Purple Unicorn might have known more about the Elements of Harmony than she did, since, even when her sister had used them on her, she had never actually seen the artifacts themselves. Silently, she marveled at the shear brilliance of the idea of hiding the damned things in plain sight. In the vault, she would have thought, or perhaps in one of the hidden chambers, but never in a thousand years would she have suspected that Celestia would simply leave them out in the middle of the main room. It was brilliant!

Now though, that little purple foal had revealed their location, and even now distracted herself with attempting to use her magic to find the sixth Element, leaving the other five unguarded on the floor before her.

It was too good of a chance for Nightmare Moon to pass up.

Reaching out with her own magic, the Midnight Mare generated a small whirlwind to draw the Elements in so she could teleport them all.

As the orbs spun closer to the center of the spiral, though, Twilight opened her eyes, and gave a startled shout. Her friends, just outside the door, heard her cry and came running.

Twilight knew, however, that there was no time. She had to stop Nightmare from getting away with the Elements. Even if the Dark Pony could not use them herself, they were the only thing that could stop her. Not knowing what else to do, Twilight hurled herself into the vortex, hoping against hope that she could find a way to stop Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare inwardly cursed as the Pony leapt into her Teleportation field. Nothing to do about it now. Twilight, the Elements, and the cloud of Nightmare Moon's magic vanished in a bright flash of light, leaving her friends concerned in her wake.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Spike dashed through the trees, running parallel to his former lover.

Her deep brown hair flowed behind her and her eyes shined with a predatory golden light beneath her bumpy vampiric brow as she chased him, smiling viciously with her fang filled mouth. "Oh, come now, Spike," she taunted, "the Princess of the Dark wants you returned to your former glory, so that we all can live happily once again, spreading glorious death and destruction in our Princess's name."

Spike wished, not for the first time, that he had thought to reload his crossbow after firing it at the Shadowbolt earlier. He had sharpened the weapon's crossbar, to use as a melee weapon, but she knew him too well, and with her speed and strength, as well as greater reach, he knew he would never get close enough to stake her with it. He needed something she could not anticipate.

He snarled at her and brandished the weapon. "It's a new world out there, Dru." He said, kicking off a series of trees, rapidly altering his direction and speed in a complicated pattern. "And I am a new person. I will never be like you again."

Drucilla flung herself after him, keeping even with him with each step. "We'll see about that, Spike." She said, "I'm going to turn you again, and then together, we will feast on your tasty little pony friends."

Spike's eyes narrowed, a mask of rage suddenly taking form. Without warning, he suddenly kicked off a fallen tree and hurled himself directly at Drucilla, swinging his crossbow with all his might in a desperate bit to stake her and be done with it.

Drucilla saw the raging dragon incoming and reacted like lightning, catching him by the throat even as she slid out of the way of his blow. "Nice try, Spike." She said with a smirk, "But I know you well enough that I can anticipate your every move." She let the crossbow fall as she leaned in, intending to turn him to a Vampire. "Now, this will hurt." She said, "But only for an instant."

Spike chuckled. "You think you know me," he said, "but there is one thing that you forgot, love."

Drucilla paused and looked at him curiously. "And what would that be?" she asked, holding him six inches from her face.

Spike grinned viciously. "DRAGON." He said simply.

Drucilla's eyes showed as it suddenly dawned on her, too late, what he was saying.

Spike opened his mouth, and exhaled, producing a green and purple flame which lashed out and struck the Vampiress in the face and upper torso.

She screamed and thrashed, dropping the Dragon as the magical flames consumed her body like paper. She convulsed and then turned to dust and vanished, carried away on the flames.

Spike landed on the ground and groaned, clutching his throat and breathing heavily.

As he regained himself, Spike heard the sound of a slow, deliberate clapping. Raising his eyes, he saw a shadowy form stepping slowly from the shadows.

Spike's eyes widened. "Angel?" he asked, then he saw the look in the man's eye: A sadistic little glint, like a cat watching a mouse that it intended to let live until it could survive no longer. "No…" he whispered, recognizing him for who he was, "Angelus."

Angelus continued clapping slowly. "Bravo." He said, voice thick with sarcasm. "You managed to refuse the chance to be returned to the fold, Spike. Now we are going to kill you, and then we are going to kill your little Pony friends. Of course, we would have killed them anyway, but the Princess gets what the Princess wants. Especially in the Endless Night."

Spike eyed Angelus warily. "We?" he asked.

Then, from the fog, they came. All of the Vampires above and below him in the Line of Aurelius, both living and dead. Darla, Harmony, that brat Anointed One, even Spikes own mother, and the Master himself, as well as dozens of others.

Spike scanned the faces, recalling the meetings and encounters he had with each. He thought about their strengths, their weaknesses, their personality flaws and the ways to exploit them.

Then his eyes fell on one person he did not expect. The platinum blond Vampire stared back at him with all the same hatred he directed at him. "Bloody hell." He said, staring his past self in the eye. "This is going to be damned therapeutic."

With that, he raised his crossbow, loaded while the Vampires were making their slow, overly-dramatic entrance, and dusted the Master.

The battle was joined.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

The Library stood silent, the only sound to be heard being the steady clop of Ditsy Doo's hooves on the floor as she waited and hoped that her new friends would return, safe and sound, with the Princess and the dawn she would bring.

Except, Ditsy could not help the feeling that she could be helping more. She was worried that even now, her friends were in danger, and she was here "minding the store". If only… If only…

The silence of the library was suddenly broken by an odd sound, one that Ditsy had heard a few times before, like metal scraping on metal in a steady pulse. She knew well enough what that sound meant.

Ditsy charged out into the street, just in time to see a blue wooden box fading into existence. She smiled broadly as the door opened, revealing a tall, handsome Earth Pony stallion, with light and dark brown fur and mane, and an hourglass cutie-mark shining brightly upon his flank.

Ditsy ran up to the stallion and wrapped her forelegs around him. "Doctor!" she cried happily. "It's you!"

The Doctor smiled. "Ditsy!" he said, returning the hug, "Good to see you!"

Behind him, someone cleared her throat.

Ditsy looked past the Doctor to see a blue unicorn with a half-blue, half-white mane, with a cutie-mark matching the Doctor's. The two of them locked eyes in a lengthy mutual glare.

"Colgate." Ditsy grated.

"Ditsy." Colgate replied, flatly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Must you two fight every time?" he asked.

Both Mares shot the Doctor a glare. "Yes." they said in unison.

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes. "Right, then." He said, "Ditsy, what is the date?"

Ditsy's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, yeah!" she said, "It is the Summer Sun's celebration on the thousandth Year of the Sun!"

Colgate rolled her eyes. "Ditsy, you featherhead." she said, "It isn't the Summer Sun Celebration until the Sun is up."

Ditsy looked at her. "That's just it." She said, "Princess Celestia is missing, and Nightmare Moon is here and she is going to make the night last forever!"

The Doctor suddenly looked very interested. "Well that IS interesting." He commented, "I knew that the Princesses of this world used their magic to raise the Sun, but I never knew magic could stop the Sun from rising." He turned to his two companions, "Well, what say we go see if we can help your friends out?"

Both Ditsy and Colgate grinned madly. There was nothing like a dangerous adventure to get the blood rushing, and as long as they had their Doctor by their side, they knew they could do anything.

The Doctor grinned as well. "I will take that as a yes." He said, and then turned back toward his ship. "Alright, come on, then! Allons-y! We have a Princess to save."

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Twilight Sparkle found herself kneeling on the floor of a large, dusty room, still clearly in the ruins, coughing from the dust kicked up by the teleport. She opened her eyes to see Nightmare Moon standing on a slightly raised platform on the other end of the room. The Black Pony of darkness was laughing at her, with the Elements in her possession, and lightning flashing around her.

Twilight knew there was no way she could hope to win against Nightmare Moon if she could not get to the Elements of Harmony, but she needed to get past Nightmare Moon to reach the Elements. Suddenly, she recalled a lesson Spike had taught her long ago.

.o0o. Flashback .o0o.

A very bruised young Twilight Sparkle stepped gingerly as she used her magic to hold the five foot long staff defensively between herself and the small dragon, whose own staff had been the source of her discomfort. "Why are we doing this again, Spike?" she complained.

Spike lashed out with his staff, forcing Twilight to block. "Princess Celestia appointed me as your protector as well as your assistant." He said, his words punctuated by the staccato crack of his staff impacting hers as he went through a deliberately slow series of strikes. "The best way I know to protect you is to see to it that you can protect yourself when I am not around."

Twilight kept blocking. "But why do I need to learn to fight like this?" she asked, "If I have to, I can use magic to defend myself. The Princess says I am getting more powerful every day."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Never rely on Magic alone." He said, "It is cunning that wins battles, not power."

He spun his staff, caught the end of it, and swung it down vertically. Twilight moved to block, but Spike's staff fell short of her own, striking the floor as the dragon used the force to fling himself into the air, over Twilight's head, pulling the staff after him. He landed behind her and used the staff to sweep her legs, causing her to lose her concentration and drop her own weapon.

Spike swung his staff, stopping just short of her head. The match was over. "Remember, Twilight, if your opponent thinks they know what you are going to do, you can surprise them by doing something different." He said as he helped her up. "If you can surprise them, you have the advantage. Cunning wins over power."

.o0o. End Flashback .o0o.

Twilight narrowed her eyes angrily and tapped her hoof in the universal signal of challenge.

Nightmare Moon stared at her in surprise. "You're kidding." She said, staring at the cute little purple Pony, "You're kidding, right?"

Twilight began to focus her magic in her horn, and started to charge forward her hooves clopping loudly on the hard stone floor as she charged directly at her foe.

Not to be outdone buy this stupid little foal, Nightmare Moon also began to charge, leaving the Elements behind her as she closed with the impertinent little Unicorn.

Twilight's horn showed brighter and brighter as she closed the distance between herself and Nightmare Moon, until, at the very last instant, she turned her magic, and, with a brilliant flash of light, teleported herself to the platform where Nightmare had left the Elements.

With only a few moments to spare, she began to use her magic to elicit a spark before Nightmare Moon could return.

Nightmare turned, and, cursing herself for falling for such a stupid feint, she poured herself into her mist form and flew back at as great a speed as she could manage. She landed opposite the little pony, just in time to see the spark leaping along the Elements suddenly strike Twilight in the chest, hurling her across the room.

Twilight sat up and looked at the Elements at Nightmare Moon's feet and grinned.

Nightmare Moon looked from the mare to the Elements and saw a spark of energy arcing between the orbs. "No!" she cursed. The spark leapt from orb to orb for a moment, and then it died.

Twilight stared in horror as the last hope she had died with that spark. "What?" she exclaimed, "But where is the Sixth Element?"

Nightmare Moon laughed maniacally. Then, she rose up and stamped her hooves between the orbs, shattering them all.

Twilight stared at the falling shards of the Elements, and felt her heart drop into her stomach.

Nightmare sneered arrogantly. "You little foal!" she taunted, "Thinking you could defeat me? Now you will never see your Princess, or your Sun. And it appears that your Dragon friend chose to deny my offer of survival, so he will die as well. THE NIGHT WILL LAST FOREVER!"

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Spike dashed through the forest, no less than forty vampires in hot pursuit. Among them, he knew Angelus, Darla, the Vampire Spike, and the Founder of the Line, Aurelious himself, to be the most dangerous.

Spike had spent all of his remaining crossbow bolts escaping the initial ambush. He had left ten more vampires as piles of dust in his wake, and he was overall fairly glad that most of the Vampires were being more cautious about attacking him up close after what he did to Drucilla.

He burst from the tree line, hitting the waters of the river as quickly as he could, the Vampires chasing him took no pause at the running water, but they blinked in surprise when a giant Serpent suddenly reared up between them and their prey.

Steven looked from Spike to the creatures chasing him in concern. "Hey!" he said, "What's going on?"

Spike might have smiled if he wasn't busy running. "Bad monsters following." He called, "I am leading them away from the others. They are in league with that cloud!"

Steven's clawed hand went protectively to his mustache when Spike mentioned the cloud. Then he got mad. "No one threatens my new friends!" he declared, slamming both fists into the water, crushing Aurelious and another Vampire to dust, and creating a wave that washed away four more down the river.

The Rest of the Vampires wisely gave the Serpent a wide berth. Choosing to cross in a location they were more likely to survive crossing. Spike smiled. It was not a lot of time, but it was a little breathing room. He was honestly hoping to find some way to deal with them a couple at a time.

He was beginning to lose ground again to the vampires' greater speed when he came upon a small hut. The hut did not look particularly inviting, with its tribal art, and general "Hut in the woods" style, but the light in the windows meant that someone was home, which, he hoped, meant that the vampires would be unable to enter.

Spike charged through the door without knocking and slammed it shut behind him.

Inside a startled Zebra looked at him from beside a bubbling cauldron. "Intruder clearly wracked with fear," she rhymed, "Tell me what you're doing here."

Spike noted the odd speech pattern. "Vampires coming." He said, trying to calm his breath. "Dark creatures. Gonna kill us all if we can't fight them off."

The Zebra's eyes widened slightly. "Vampires are a threat indeed." She said, "What sort of assistance do you need?"

Spike looked her over. She was wearing traditional Zebra garb, and gave off the air of a shaman. "When fighting Vampires, there are three things you need to know:" he said, "First, don't invite them in. They cannot enter someone's home if they are not invited. Second, Stake to the heart or decapitation kills them. Anything else just pisses them off. Finally, they are repelled and burned by anything that is a focus of faith. Holy Symbols, Holy water, certain divine magics and Sunlight. Fire works, too. Prolonged exposure to any of these will kill them; short exposure takes some time to recover from, based on the concentration of energy."

The Zebra nodded. "Zecora is my given name," she said, "and you will find I am not lame. Against this darkness we shall fight, and mayhap we'll return the light."

She moved to the mantle and retrieved a fancy war mask. "This mask is sacred to many tribes." She said, "I can hear them coming, and feel bad vibes."

She then moved to the door and picked up a wooden spear. "This spear has helped to guard my door," she rhymed, "Now out it comes, to use once more."

Spike nodded, and brandished his crossbow. Even without bolts, it still served as a melee weapon, and he could use it to take out a few of the lesser vampires.

Outside, the Vampires, now thirty-six in number, slowed when they came into sight of the hut. Angelus smiled viciously. "Oh, Spike, there you go again, dragging a poor homeowner in to our little game." He said with a laugh. "You know that even if we can't enter that hut, we can still set it on fire."

Spike looked at Zecora. "Remember, we can use the hut defensively as long as it is standing." He said, "They cannot cross the threshold."

Zecora simply nodded and hefted her spear.

Spike and Zecora burst through the hut's door and hit the first line of vampires. Spike was very impressed with the Zebra's skill with that spear. The pair of them used the threshold of the hut as a shield off and on throughout the melee by falling back when the vampires pressed too hard and advancing when they backed off. Ten piles of dust later, the Vampires fell back to regroup.

What happened next was unusual.

Angelus was just about to launch into another taunting monolog when, completely out of the blue, a blue police box, not unlike those that were once used in London England, suddenly materialized ten feet over the Vampire's head, dropping the intervening distance and crushing him to dust.

Everyone just stared at the box, completely thrown off by its appearance, until its door opened up and a blue Unicorn with a blue and white mane stumbled out. "I told you not to let her touch anything, Doctor." She said irately. "She nearly got… us… killed..." She trailed off as she saw the humanoids with their teeth, bumpy faces and golden eyes.

She was followed by a very abashed looking Ditsy Doo. "I don't know what went wrong." Ditsy said, and then she saw Spike. "Oh, hi, Spike! We came to help out!"

Ditsy was followed by a tall brown Earth Pony Stallion. "Maybe it was that I told you not to touch the Jiggley lever." He said, before noticing the Humanoids. "What's this?" He asked, pulling out a small device that made a whistling sound as he waved it at the Vampires. "Some kind of hairless bipeds?" He looked at the readings and cocked his head. "Necrotic Plasmavores? Oh." He turned the dial and waved it in front of the five Vampires closest to him, including Darla, and reduced them to dust.

Spike stared at the Stallion. "How the hell did you do that?" He asked, the remaining Vampires, now twenty in number listening as well. "That some kind of weapon?"

The Stallion looked at Spike in shock. "Oh, no." he replied, "These fellows are made with Pony Magic, and my sonic screwdriver has a setting that disrupts that magic. At least so long as there isn't a lot of will behind it."

The Vampires suddenly realized that staying here meant certain death, and scattered, hoping to escape. They were not, however, fast enough to escape the ponies arrayed before them.

Zecora used her spear and took down three more. Spike dusted five with the sharpened parts of his crossbow. Only one was foolish enough to try to attack the Doctor. It died. Colgate managed to drop a tree on two.

Ditsy flew up and landed on a tree limb, hoping to assist the others from the better vantage point. The tree limb promptly snapped, and dropped, staking one vampire and crushing another to dust.

She then stood up and immediately tripped over the fallen branch, crashing into Colgate and driving the unicorn's horn backward, and into the heart of a Vampire that had been attempting to sneak up on her. The Vampire crumbled to dust.

Colgate then pushed Ditsy off of her sputtering about the ashes in her hair, and the Pegasus stumbled as her rear hoof had become tangled in a vine, and accidentally ducked under a lunge by another Vampire, who overcommitted and tripped over her, crashing down and becoming the second victim of Colgate's horn.

Ditsy then tugged at the vine, still wrapped around her hoof, causing it to go taut, tripping two Vampires, one of which impaled himself on a broken tree branch and the other fell into one of the torches that Zecora used to decorate her lawn, catching himself on fire, and then stumbled screaming into a third, who also caught ablaze.

Ditsy tugged harder at the vine and Spike, who was being pressed by another vampire, tripped over it, dropping his crossbow. The Vampire tried to take advantage of the opening, only to trip over the vine himself, and land on Spikes crossbow, dusting himself.

The one remaining Vampire, who had been watching this whole production, stared at Ditsy Doo with disbelief. "You… You're not a pony," he cried, "You're a natural disaster!" He turned and fled through a field of strange blue flowers. His skin began to sparkle and he was promptly devoured by wolves.

When the last of the Vampires were dead, Spike looked around, and realized that he had not seen his old self at all during that battle. He pondered why that could be the case, knowing he had not been among those killed by Steven. Why would he… Spike's eyes widened. He was going to go after Twilight and her friends. "There must be one more." He said. "He must be going after the girls."

Zecora moved to join him, but Spike shook his head. "This one is mine." He said. "He and I have a personal score to settle."

The zebra simply nodded and went to get a broom to sweep the ashes from her lawn.

Spike dashed out of the clearing and out of sight.

Ditsy looked after her friend and then looked at the Doctor. "I… I can't let him go alone." She said, and then she followed the Dragon back into the depths of the forest.

Colgate looked at the Doctor and began to follow.

"We can't." Said the Doctor

Colgate looked confused. "Why can't we go as back-up?" she asked.

The Doctor looked at her. "This is the Thousandth year of the Sun." he said simply. "And you know what happens this day."

Colgate's eyes widened. "This is the day…" she trailed off. "The last day of the Reign of the Sun."

The Doctor nodded. "What happens today is a fixed point in history." He said, "It cannot be changed. We know what is going to happen, so we cannot be involved at all."

Colgate looked in the direction Ditsy had run. "What about Ditsy Doo?" she asked. The two of them may have fought constantly, but the Pegasus was still her friend.

The Doctor sighed. "She is from this Time Zone, and she does not know what will happen, so she can be involved." He said, "I have no doubt that that young Dragon will protect her, and I am proud of her for being able to choose to follow him."

Colgate nodded. "Okay then." She said, "If it is okay with you, I am going in the TARDIS to wash the Plasmavore dust out of my hair."

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Nightmare Moon was laughing about her victory, and Twilight stood, crushed by her own defeat.

The Elements were destroyed, the Princess was gone, and Nightmare Moon was now free to bring Eternal Night. Twilight had failed.

Suddenly a sound reached her ears, a soft sound that ignited the hope in her heart. Her friends were coming. They were on their way. Suddenly, everything clicked. Like a Spark in her heart, Twilight felt it. And she knew.

Twilight turned to look at Nightmare Moon, a confident smile coming to her face. "You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that?" she challenged, "Well, you're wrong, because the Spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right HERE!"

On the final word, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash charged into the room and took up positions behind Twilight, facing Nightmare Moon together with her.

The Shards of the Elements, lying at Nightmare's feet, began to rise, glowing in five different colors.

Nightmare Moon eyed the shards and began to get a sinking feeling. "W-what?" she whispered in disbelief.

Twilight acknowledged each of her friends, one at a time, and with each one, the shards began to circle them. "Applejack," Twilight said, "who reassured me when I was in doubt, Represents the Spirit of Honesty. Fluttershy, who tamed the Manticore with her compassion, represents the Spirit of Kindness. Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the Spirit of Laughter. Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful Serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the Spirit of Generosity. And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire, represents the Spirit of Loyalty."

Twilight smiled and shot Nightmare Moon a sidelong look. "The spirits of these five Ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us." She finished.

Nightmare Moon looked shaken. "You still don't have the Sixth Element." She said, grasping at straws, "The spark didn't work."

Twilight smiled. "But it did." She said, "A different kind of spark." She turned to address her friends. "I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you." She said, tears coming to her eyes, "The spark ignited inside me, when I realized that you all are MY FRIENDS!"

The last words, she said with great force, turning back to Nightmare Moon once more. As she did, an orb materialized above her head. It shined with magic, forcing the Midnight mare to shield her eyes from the light with her wings.

Twilight fixed the Dark Princess with a look. "You see, Nightmare Moon," she lectured, "when those Elements are ignited by the… the spark… that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth Element: The Element of Magic!"

As soon as the words were spoken, announcing the final Element, the Shards hovering around the Ponies began to spin and then they closed in and reformed on each pony, becoming a necklace for each, shining with the power of the Elements of Harmony, and decorated matching each Pony's Cutie-Mark. The orb over Twilight's head descended, and transformed into a crown bearing her own Cutie-Mark.

Nightmare Moon wanted to flee. She tried to summon her magic to escape, but she found that her reserves of energy were now completely exhausted. She could not even turn to her mist form now. All she could do was wait for the blow to come.

She did not have to wait long. Twilight and the others became fully enveloped in the glow of the magic emitting a huge rainbow that arched through the air, descending upon her like an unstoppable wave of power. As the wave of color wrapped around her, she screamed and struggled, unable to break free.

Twilight's eyes opened, her pupils washed out by bright white light. The Light spread, and consumed all that Nightmare Moon knew.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

Spike ran through the forest as quickly as he could. He knew that his Vampire double could be readying to attack Twilight and the others. He had to get there before that could happen. He had to protect them.

He was sure the Vampire Spike had been with the hunting party when it had reached the river, but he had not seen him since then. As he crossed the river, he spotted Steven, laying sprawled on one of the banks. Spike paused for a moment to confirm his ally was still alive, and then moved on. If the other Spike could take down that serpent, who knew what he was capable of?

Spike reached the chasm, as deep and daunting as before. His heart sank, though when he spotted a recently downed tree, spanning it. Concern for his Ponies spurred him to leap onto the tree so he could catch up with his former self.

It was a mistake.

It was pure luck that prevented the Dragon from falling to his certain doom as a solid pair of boots suddenly swung up from beneath the tree and struck him squarely in the face.

Spike was pitched through the air and barely managed to catch hold of one of the limbs to prevent himself from falling and pull himself back to more secure footing between his foe and the ruins' side of the tree.

Survival came at a cost, though. Spike cursed as he watched his crossbow vanish into the darkness below. He turned and glared at the platinum blond Vampire, now standing openly on the middle of the tree trunk. "You lost me my crossbow." He growled. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to make one of those on this world?"

The Vampire chuckled. "Somebody's got his scales in a ruffle." He said, voice full of mirth. "If it makes you feel any better, it seems that the Princess of the Dark has been defeated. Not that it matters, of course, 'cause I'm gonna kill you and your Pony friends anyway."

Spike's eyes narrowed. "You won't be killing anyone." He said, firmly, "I won't let you." He stepped firmly to the center of the bridge, barring the Vampire further.

The Vampire chuckled. "If Drucilla thought she knew you," he said simply. "I know you better. I can anticipate your every step, and match you skill for skill. I am you, after all."

Spike inwardly cursed. All of his combat ability stemmed from his time as a Vampire. All of his Strategies and plans were there inside his opponent's head. He needed to come up with a plan.

Immediately, his eyes went to the tree. It's trunk nearly a foot thick on the side away from the ruins, but it was less than six inches where it wedged to the cliff on the ruins' side. If he could force the tree to fall, and keep the Vampire on it, there was no way he could survive to threaten Twilight and the others. Spike's own survival was not important.

Whirling quickly, spike shot a jet of his magical flames out, igniting leaves, branches and limbs, creating a Wall of flames between them and the ruins. The flames would burn through the trunk. It was only a matter of time.

The Vampire Spike chuckled. "What's this?" he asked, humor tinting his voice, "A duel on a burning bridge? How very climactic of you."

Spike broke a limb from the tree and held it out in front of him.

The Vampire frowned. "You honestly intend to die to keep me away from your little girlfriends over there, don't you?" he asked in annoyance, "I cannot believe that I went and became such a stupid, sentimental fool." He charged forward, breaking off a limb of his own and performed a heavy over head slam that drove the Dragon, raising his own stick in defense, to his knees.

Spike winced at the force of the blow even as he turned the force and used it to fuel his own strike. The impact did not even faze the Vampire in the slightest. "I won't let you hurt them." Spike shouted, hammering on the Vampire's defenses several more times before blocking a counter attack that knocked him backward, into the flames. Fortunately, Dragons are fireproof.

Spike raised his stick, which was now on fire, and lashed out at the Vampire from just inside the flames, striking against his defenses with the flames, leaving smoldering spots wherever it contacted the other's stick.

The Vampire chuckled and struck at the Dragon through the flames, knocking his weapon from the tree. Spike pulled further into the flames to avoid another blow, but the Vampire, taking advantage of the flame blinding the dragon, reached into the flames and dragged him out.

Spike struggled against his Vampire self's grip, punching and kicking to no avail. It shocked him that the Vampire was not sporting burns from the flames. "H-how…" he struggled out as the Vampire's hand was squeezing his throat.

The Vampire Spike punched his Dragon counterpart savagely in the face. "How what, ya runt?" he said, slamming his fist into the Dragon's face again, and then again. He held the Dragon in such a way that he could not hit him with his fire, and he was dangling over the edge of the tree.

Spike knew he needed a miracle if he was going to survive this.

As if on cue, the Sun crested the horizon. Spike the Dragon smirked as the light struck the Vampire, causing the creature of the night to hold up his free hand in an attempt to block it as he screamed. Spike's smile slid from his face, though, as the screams began to mix with laughter.

The Vampire chuckled. "A final gift from the Princess of the Dark. He said, grinning evilly. "I don't burn. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some Ponies to kill."

With that, he drew his hand back and Punched Spike one more time, sending the Dragon hurtling off the Tree and into the darkness below.

With that issue handled, the Vampire Spike walked through the flames, completely unscathed, and laughed as the tree snapped and fell behind him. He chuckled. "Aww, and he was so close, too." He quipped. "Well, better luck next time." With that, he made his way toward the ruins.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

The ruins were silent as the grave when Twilight and the others began to stir, having lost consciousness due to the drain of the spell. They all lay sprawled in the room where they had faced Nightmare Moon.

As they gathered themselves, Rainbow was first to speak. "Oh, my head…" she said with a groan.

Applejack looked around at the others. "Is everypony okay?" she asked.

The others nodded; it seemed that they were still all in one piece. And in some cases, better. "Oh thank goodness!"Rarity said, raising her tail so the others could see that it had grown back.

Fluttershy looked at the Unicorn and had to comment. "Rarity, it's so lovely." She said demurely.

Rarity smiled. "I know," she said, waving her tail in the air happily, "I will never part with it again."

A confused look crossed Fluttershy's face. "No, I meant your necklace." She said, indicating the necklace hanging around Rarity's neck. "It looks just like your Cutie Mark."

Rarity looked from the necklace to the mark on her flank and then looked back at Fluttershy. "So does yours!" she said.

Fluttershy smiled happily as she realized that Rarity was correct.

Pinkie hopped up and down happily. "Look at mine! Look at mine!" she called, hopping over to Applejack, who was also smiling.

Rainbow Dash smiled at her own necklace. "Awe, yeah." She said proudly.

Twilight's crown sparkled as she smiled, knowing it was the same as with her friends.

Applejack smiled. "Gee, Twilight," she said, "I thought you were spouting a lot of hooey, but I reckin', we really do represent the Elements of Friendship."

A sudden light appeared through the window, as the Sun crested the horizon and spread its warming light into the room. "Indeed you do." Said a mature voice, as the light condensed and Princess Celestia appeared, with her multi-toned hair blowing on a nonexistent wind.

All of the mares bowed respectfully before the Ruler of Equestria.

Twilight smiled happily to see her Teacher. "Princess Celestia!" she cried, trotting over to her.

Celestia smiled at her student. "Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student." She said, giving the Purple Unicorn a hug. "I knew you could do it."

Twilight paused for a moment. "So you knew that this would happen?" she asked.

Celestia nodded. "Hoped, actually." She said, "I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew it was you who had the Magic inside to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart. That is why I sent you and Spike in the first place."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Spike!" she cried suddenly, "He left us at the bridge to deal with something. We need to make sure that he is alright!"

A slow, dark chuckle drifted from the Chamber's door. "I'm afraid your little Dragon friend won't be joining us again." Said the shadow standing there. "He took a little trip to the bottom of that ravine out there."

Princes Celestia glared at the shadow and emitted a bright light, illuminating the Shadows and revealing the Platinum-blond Vampire. "Impossible!" she said, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You are a Vampire. My light should destroy you!"

The Vampire chuckled softly. "I was the last bit of Nightmare Moon's magic that was still around when she fell," he said, "So the remainder of her power came to me. It isn't much, but its more than enough to let me resist the power of the Sun."

The Six ponies pulled themselves behind the Princess, and the Princess stood ready to fight to protect them.

The Vampire chuckled and began to advance on the Ponies, his boots making a steady tapping on the stone floor. His face twisted in the carnal pleasure of a hunt about to begin.

He smiled a dark smile. "And now, My Little Ponies," he said, "It is time for you to di-AH!"

As he spoke the last words, the sound of Flesh being stuck and giving way before a piercing weapon echoed through the room.

The Vampire's eyes widened in shock. "B-Bugger." He stuttered as his flesh and bones turned to dust and collapsed into a pile on the ground, revealing Spike, a broken piece of his crossbow in hand, and Ditsy Doo behind him.

Spike shot Ditsy a smile. "Thanks for the save. Ditsy." He said simply. "Would have been in trouble without you there."

The others wasted no time in rushing to their Dragon friend and the Pegasus, hugging them both and smiling happily.

Princess Celestia smiled. "I am so glad were able to open yourselves up to such friendship." She said, "Now, if only another will as well."

She turned and looked at the platform where Nightmare Moon had stood, and the others noticed a young pony with a deep purple coat and light blue mane with wings and a horn, lying among the remains of Nightmare Moon's armor.

Celestia took on an imposing posture. "Princess Luna." She said, causing the young Pony's eyes to pop open wide with fear. "It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this."

Celestia knelt beside Luna and looked her in the eye. "Time to put our differences behind us." She said, "We were meant to rule together, Little Sister. Will you accept my friendship?"

The room was silent as all of the ponies waited with bated breath and Luna looked up into her sister's eyes.

Luna bowed her head. "No." she said softly. "I don't deserve your friendship."

"WHAT?" the ponies cried together.

Celestia stared at her sister in disbelief. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Luna hung her head in shame. "After all I have done, all the harm I have caused, and all the lives I have ruined, I don't deserve your friendship." She said, "Send me back to the Moon. It is the best that I deserve."

Twilight Sparkle stepped forward. "But it was Nightmare Moon that did those things, not you!" she argued. "You were under the control of her darkness!"

Luna shook her head. "Nightmare Moon is me." She said sadly, "I let myself give in to that darkness, the hatred, and the lust for power. It was all me. Nightmare Moon is more me than I could ever dare to be. I deserve punishment. Send me back to them Moon, Sister."

Celestia nodded numbly. "If… If that is really what you want." She said, her horn beginning to glow.

Spike was having none of that. "If doing a lot of evil is reason to send someone to the Moon around here, you are gonna have to send me as well." He said simply, standing between Celestia and Luna. "In my life before coming to Equestria, I was a Vampire, one of the worst ever. William the Bloody, earned the nickname 'Spike' because I tortured my victims with railroad spikes. I killed and tortured thousands over the course of over two hundred years. I am as evil as they come."

The ponies all gasped in shock at this revelation.

Spike turned and looked straight at Luna. "I did all those things, I remember every face, every cry, every desperate plea that I ignored." He said, his voice heavy with regret. "And I regret it every day and dream of it every night."

Luna stared at Spike in total shock. "How…" she whispered, "How do you make it hurt less?"

Spike looked into her eyes, sympathizing with how she was feeling. "You can't." he said, "You can only take it one step at a time, and learn to deal with it. And sealed up on the Moon, you won't be dealing with it. You will be simmering in it."

Luna looked up at Spike, tears shimmering in her eyes. "But… How can I go on living, knowing what I've done?" she asked.

Spike placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You just live." He said, "And you spend every day of the rest of your life trying to atone for the evil you have done. It is a long road, but in time, you feel better for it."

Luna smiled slightly at Spike, and then looked to her sister, and moved to embrace her. "I'm so sorry, Big Sister!" she said, "I missed you, so much."

Celestia was tearing up again, this time with happiness. "I missed you, too." She said.

Everyone sighed in relief. Pinkie Pie smiled, "Hey, you know what this calls for?" she announced, "A PARTY!"

The announcement raised everyone's spirits, and all of the ponies talked excitedly amongst themselves as they began to make the return journey to Ponyville.

As they walked, Spike listened to the Ponies' description of the events at the ruins, and told his own tale, leaving out the battle at the Zebra's house, and the Pony in the Police Box, at Ditsy's request.

As they walked, Spike drifted back to where Celestia was walking along with Luna. "There is one thing with all this that confuses me, Princess." He said, "They said the Elements were in the Ruins, but it seems to me that that would be a really foolish place to leave such powerful magical artifacts. I mean, Tomb Raiders with a taste for stone orbs could have made off with some of them in the last thousand years and doomed us all."

Celestia looked to make sure none of the younger ponies were in earshot. "Confidentially, Spike, those orbs were not actually the Elements." She said, "In fact, the jewelry the girls have now are not the Elements either. The Elements of Harmony lie within the Ponies themselves, but they needed a physical symbol to believe they had them."

Spike's eyes widened slightly. "So Twilight made the Necklaces as a Symbol of the Elements, without knowing she was doing it?" he asked incredulously, "What about the orbs Nightmare Moon smashed?"

Celestia chuckled. "That was such an ugly statue." She said with a grin. "I left it because I honestly did not like it. I thought it was hilarious that Twilight mistook the orbs for the Elements. It seems to have worked well though."

Spike sighed. "So they don't actually need the Necklaces and crown to use the Elements?" he asked.

Celestia looked at him. "No, they don't," she replied, "but I don't want them to use the Elements too often, because I don't want them too reliant on them. Because of this, I am letting them think the Jewelry is necessary to use the Elements, and I am taking them with me to Canterlot." She fixed him with a look. "I trust you will keep this a secret?"

Spike nodded in agreement.

A few moments later, the Princess suddenly lashed out with her front hoof, striking Spike in the arm and sending him sprawling in the dirt.

"What was that for?" Spike asked from his prone position.

Celestia looked down at him. "That was for Dumping your ex-girlfriend's ashes on my head." She replied flatly.

"Oh." Spike said.

They continued back to Ponyville, where Pinkie Pie had somehow managed to pull together the remaining remnants of the Celebration that should have occurred that morning into a full blown celebration of the Princesses.

As the ponies promenaded through the streets, Spike spotted a pair of familiar faces.

He approached the Brown pony and his blue companion. "Oi." He greeted them. "I never got to thank you for showing up when you did."

The Stallion nodded. "It was my pleasure… Spike, was it?" he replied, "I am the Doctor, and this is my companion, Colgate."

Spike's eyes widened. "THE Doctor?" he asked, "As in the, 'Princess Celestia keeps a file four inches thick on the desk in her office just cataloging the books about him,' Doctor?"

The brown pony blushed, "Well, I don't pretend to know the contents of the Princess's office," he said, "but I have been around for a while, so I would imagine a sizable body of literature in Canterlot Library is devoted to me. I trust Ditsy asked you not to mention my involvement?"

Spike nodded. "Celestia has a bounty on your head." He said, "So you should be more careful. Why are you here, anyway?"

The Doctor looked embarrassed. He turned to Colgate. "It seems that the Princess is still cross about that one incident with the TARDIS and the Windigo and the Concrete in her bath." He said.

Colgate rolled her eyes. "I would be, too." She said, "We probably should have told her about it first."

The Doctor nodded. "Indeed." He said, "As to why we are here: Why not? This is the beginning of a new Era in Ponydom: The first day of the first year of the Sisters."

Spike nodded again. Then he made his farewells to the Doctor and Colgate, and headed back over to where the Princess was talking with Twilight, who looked sad.

Celestia noticed her student's disquiet. "Why so glum, my Faithful Student?" She asked, "Are you not happy that your quest is complete, and you can return to your studies in Canterlot?"

Twilight sighed. "That's just it." She said, just when I find out how wonderful it is to have friends, I have to leave them."

The rest of Twilight's friends suddenly caught on to what she was saying, and they, too, became sad.

The Princess thought for a moment and looked at Spike. "Spike, take a note, please." She said.

Spike, having been expecting this, pulled out a piece of paper and a quill from his satchel.

Princess Celestia took on an official posture. "I, Princess Celestia," she Dictated, "Hereby decree that the Unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, shall take on a new mission, for Equestria. She must continue to study the Magic of Friendship and she must report to me her findings, from her new home, in Ponyville."

Twilight's eyes widened and a smile bloomed on her face as her friends gathered around her and they shared a big group hug. "Thank you, Princess Celestia!" Twilight said happily, "I'll study harder than ever before!"

Everyone cheered.

Spike nodded about it having the desired effect.

A few moments later, he approached Princess Celestia while the others were distracted. "Princess, just a few logistical things." He said, "First, I am guessing you are transferring my commission here as well. I can't keep Twilight out of trouble from Canterlot, after all, but what about my other duties?"

Celestia smiled calmly knowing how useful Spike had made himself in Canterlot over the past five years. "They will be fine under your Second." She said, "And Canterlot is only a short train ride from here, if they need you."

Spike nodded. "And what about the Librarian?" he asked. "There had to be someone living in the Library before, and they will need to be permanently removed if Twilight is to be given the Library."

Celestia nodded. "I will simply move him to Twilight's old position in Canterlot." She said. "Anything else?"

Spike shook his head. "We can talk about ways for me to help Luna later." He said. "For now, let's focus on the party."

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

A.N. A few things: First, the Doctor used in this fic is not the one from Doctor Who, but rather, a pony-universe version.

Second, I had no cannon Personality or Back story for Colgate, so I came up with her personality and Back story in my own head.

Third, this Spike is far more active in Canterlot than the canon Spike. That activeness and Colgate's back-story may be revealed in time.

Fourth, Sweet's involvement with Pinkie Pie's life will be discussed in time.

Finally, I need some help in figuring out what episodes to do to show how Spike changes things. As well as what order to do them in.

Wow, this chapter was huge. As always, I love constructive Criticism.


End file.
